Humaid, Deputy Minister of Labor, has described the situation of “random foreign workers” in the Kingdom as “like something out of the movies.” “Saudis are going to end up a minority in their own country if this continues,” Al-Riyadh newspaper reported Al-Humaid as saying at a recent press conference in the capital. Reportedly displaying clear signs of “annoyance”, Al-Humaid spoke of “money exchanging hands for individuals to provide sponsorship” and companies obtaining visas for foreign workers and then subsequently ceasing to exist. Al-Humaid said the numbers of workers entering the country and failing to comply with visa conditions might “create security problems.” According to Al-Riyadh, however, Al-Humaid “did not go into the ministry's strategy to deal with the problem which is starting to keep labor officials in Saudi awake at night.” The press conference, called to announce the opening of the labor ministry's “branches complex” in Riyadh, also heard that the new law governing recruitment firms had been passed on to higher authorities for consideration and approval. Al-Humaid was more upbeat when it came to the employment situation in the country. About 42,000 jobs were created for Saudis last year, he said, while recruitment from abroad was down 23 percent on the previous Hirja year of 1429. “The ministry's special conditions in granting of visas and other services to companies committed to Saudization has given impetus to the employment of Saudis and encouraged them to seek out well-qualified and trained nationals or to turn to training them through the programs offered by the government,” Al-Humaid said. The deputy minister also revealed that there are plans for a “priority program” giving preference to companies that exceed minimum Saudization targets in visas issues and other services in scale with the percentages of Saudization they achieve. In view of the unemployment rate of 10 percent, Saudization constituted the “top priority” at the Ministry of Labor. “Everything else takes a back seat,” Al-Humaid said. According to Al-Watan newspaper, Al-Humaid further noted that unemployment in women stood at 27 percent. Sponsorship to stay The deputy minister rebuffed suggestions that the sponsorship system could be done away with, describing such a move as “illogical.” “The Ministry of Labor is not the only party involved in the sponsorship issue, Saudis themselves assume great expenses to recruit from abroad, so it's unreasonable to abolish the sponsorship system,” he said. “The ministry is, however, working to safeguard the rights of both employers and employees, and the new moves do not include any proposals to abolish the sponsorship system.” Al-Humaid was reported by Al-Watan as saying that new conditions include the presentation of contracts by firms seeking recruitment permits. “This is to combat firms who try to evade the law to trade in work visas. Some expatriates also reach agreements with sponsors while still abroad to acquire their sponsorship and then run their own businesses in return for monthly payments. They also sometimes charge them to renew residency permits or for travel visas,” Al-Humaid said. The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), which has criticized the new law governing recruitment firms and sponsorship saying it is a breach of human rights and should be repealed, was described by Al-Humaid as “too idealistic.” “The NSHR is trying to portray an idealistic picture, which is also the case of the ministry, but there are sponsors and employees breaking the law, so the law will have to remain in place until we can find a way to ensure the rights of both parties,” he said. The new branches complex in Riyadh, opened by the Deputy Minister on Wednesday, now hosts the province's Labor Office, the High Commission for Financial Disputes, the Primary Commission for Financial Disputes, the Women's Labor Office, bringing them together at one site where previously they had been housed at offices in various regions of the province. __
