UNEMPLOYMENT is one of the most important and complicated issues currently facing the Kingdom. The importance lies in its direct connection with a number of vital social, security and economic fields and its relationship to the country's youth who represent 65 percent of the population. As for the complications, they lie in the numerous authorities responsible for resolving the problem and the differences in their strategies and performance. Many lack plans for countering rising unemployment in a developing society. Due to the benevolence of God and the country's wise leadership, Saudi Arabia has a strong economy that can influence global economics. The country employs some 8 million foreigners in different jobs and professions. Despite this, both the government and private sectors have failed to come up with any practical solutions to unemployment among Saudis. The private sector is enjoying great privileges and numerous facilities. However, there is still room for considerable improvement as far as achieving Saudization percentages, attracting young Saudis and contributing to national projects are concerned. I say this amid conflicting statements by a number of ministries and officials on the exact rate of unemployment in the country and how to counter it. The Ministry of Labor confirmed in a statement that the number of Saudis receiving Hafiz unemployment benefits dropped to 19 percent. The ministry, however, did not mention the registered number of beneficiaries before the drop. As for the second statement, it came from the Ministry of Civil Service. It said that there are 7,375 males and females holding postgraduate degrees in a number of medical, engineering, technical and other specializations seeking jobs through its Jadarah program. A question comes up here: If this is the case with medical, science and engineering specializations whose graduates will be in high demand in the government and private sectors for many years to come — according to a previous statement by one of the officials — then what can we say about the other specializations stated in the ministry's statistics? The following news might complicate the matter further, but it gives a partial answer to the question. It says that Shoura Council members in a ordinary session recently severely criticized the performance of the Ministry of Education for the obscurity surrounding the scholarship program and the ministry spending SR20 billion annually on 150,000 scholarship students for whom unemployment is waiting. The fact that this criticism comes from the Shoura Council means that the council has no ready mechanism or strategic plan to find jobs for the large number of scholarship students upon their return. Or at least the council has not received anything from the ministries concerned indicating a common ground between them so that there is prior coordination to attract these graduates. Even the Ministry of Economy and Planning, which is concerned with preparing five-year development plans and helping ministries and concerned authorities in matters pertaining to planning, says there are no radical solutions to unemployment, but the issue is being “treated”. If unemployment is currently at the level of postgraduate degree holders and in specific scientific specializations, what kind of treatment is the Ministry of Planning providing? I think the figure announced by the Ministry of Civil Service is just an indication of the difficulties that the coming batches of returning scholarship students will face. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has stated that if the soul gets its sustenance it becomes stable. If this is an indication of the effect of the balance between psychological and material aspects, something can be said about creating a solution for unemployment or at least reducing its rate by stimulating the economy, decreasing the cost of labor, amending conditions in workplaces, compiling precise statistics on the needs of the job market and efforts being made to attract fresh graduates to available jobs.
