I have come across three stories in local newspapers this month alone of Saudis complaining about expatriates controlling certain sections of the retail market. In one newspaper report, expatriates were accused of monopolizing a livestock market in the city of Taima, in the northern Tabuk region.
According to that article, large numbers of Sudanese control the livestock market there and fix prices. The Saudis who were cited in the report called on the authorities to ban the Sudanese from entering the market and to limit selling to only Saudis.
Expatriates who monopolize the fruit market in Taif were the focus of a news report in another publication. The report added that despite the Saudization of jobs in the market, including in the dates and meat markets, expatriate workers can still be found manning stalls. One Saudi man claimed that expatriates negatively affect his business and blamed other Saudis for renting their stalls out to non-Saudis and allowing them to operate businesses under their names.
Another report talked about how expatriates control the fish market in Al-Qunfudha, a city on the southwestern coast of Saudi Arabia. Saudis quoted made the same complaint that expatriates were increasing prices and monopolizing the market. People also called on the authorities to stop expatriates who push Saudis out of the market.
There are, of course, many other reports such as these published in the press. Most of these complaints are, in my view, baseless and psychological. We need to stop claiming that expatriates control the market because we are the source of the problem. Expatriates do not sneak into the Kingdom and begin work in the open illegally. If the authorities were to check their iqamas (residence permits), they would find that they are sponsored by Saudis who brought them into the Kingdom to work. If the authorities were to check their documents for their places of work, they would find that Saudis rent out shops to them. I believe the consumer market is big enough for everyone; it is competition that governs the market. There are some expatriates who use their influence to control prices and drive competition away. However, they are, according to many sources, few in number.
We need to be honest and admit that very few Saudis survive in professions that involve long working hours. We also need to realize that expatriates who come to Saudi Arabia are prepared to work very long hours. Despite government initiatives supporting Saudis, most Saudis leave work very quickly for many reasons.
I talked to a number of Saudis who have worked in the fruit market and other low-paying jobs and concluded that the majority do not blame certain nationalities for controlling the market and driving them away. There is no logic in that. What they, however, did say is that they received very little support from their local municipalities.
However, the main reason why they left was the lack of social life. They all agreed that once you begin working long hours, you are left with no social life. Some of them have to leave work to take care of their children and families, unlike many expatriates who are in the Kingdom alone and can afford to stay at work all day.
One Saudi told me that if he had to close his shop to take his mother to hospital, then he would lose a lot of customers. The vast majority also said they look for comfortable jobs that match their qualifications, pay well, provide housing allowances and medical insurance and allow them to have a good work and life balance.
I was also told that it was more profitable for a Saudi with a stall to rent it out to an expatriate who would work hard and give him a fixed amount at the end of the month. For many young Saudis, earning a fixed amount comfortably is acceptable. They all, however, know that the expatriates they deal with make more money than what they give. They, however, feel agreements like this are fair.
Saudis rarely work in these sectors out of choice, not because they have been driven out. Regulations always favor Saudis, but they prefer other types of work rather than toiling long hours in a highly-competitive market.
There was, ironically, a news article that the Ministry of Agriculture is going to open the fishing sector, including packaging fish, to non-Saudis. The Saudization process within this sector is to be removed as it is very difficult to find Saudis prepared to work these types of jobs. This news article proves my point.
We need to stop projecting expatriates in the media as bloodsuckers, hell-bent on harming us and driving us out. Let us remember that businesses in the Kingdom are owned by Saudis and expatriates are employed legally. They provide important services and contribute to the Kingdom's development. If all expatriates were forced out of the fruit market, for example, and replaced by Saudis, how many of them would be able to work the same hours as expatriates?
