JEDDAH: A recent study has determined that 97.5 percent of Saudi youth are averse to working in restaurants and coffee shops because of the attached social stigma due to the negative way in which these jobs are traditionally viewed by Saudi society. The study was conducted by a committee focusing on reasons why businessmen in the hospitality sector continue to rely on foreign manpower to run their establishments despite the continual emphasis on Saudization by the authorities. The study also showed that there were some jobs in the field that can be nationalized now. Other jobs too can be put in this category after proper training of young Saudis. At a meeting here Tuesday, Adel Fakieh, Minister of Labor, welcomed the proposals put forth by the Hospitality Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry calling for opening part-time and full-time jobs in the sector for the Saudi youth. The minister stressed the importance of working out a mechanism so as to train Saudi youth and develop their skills in the field of hospitality. The training process, he said, could be handled by the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training (GOTVET) in cooperation with the Human Resourses Development Fund (HRDF) and the private sector. The minister urged businessmen to give due attention to the management and development of human resources. He said the work environment should also be developed so as to encourage Saudi youth to take up jobs in this sector. The meeting also focused on the obstacles and difficulties slowing the process of Saudization in the hospitality sector as elaborated in the study. Dr. Khalid Al-Harithy, Chairman of the Hospitality Committee at the JCCI, described the meeting with the minister as frank. “Minister Fakieh listened carefully to all the opinions and obstacles facing the sector. He asked us to give in writing all opinions and suggestions,” Al-Harithy said.
