Cairo: Saudi Arabia’s labour authorities have decreed the localisation of a number of jobs in a south-western province as part of a regional scheme aimed to provide more work openings for Saudis.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development said the decree covers localising jobs at advertising agency service points, photography services, and personal computer and mobiles maintenance outlets by around 70 per cent of the overall workforce in these activities in Jazan region.
Moreover, the decree provides for localising reservation offices and supervisory jobs at wedding halls and accommodation facilities. Exempted are jobs of cleaning as well as loading and offloading.
However, the number of the exempted workers should not exceed 20 per cent of the overall employees and have to appear in uniforms, Okaz newspaper reported. This part of the decree will take effect in six months’ time, it added.
Furthermore, the decree pertaining to the coastal region provides for localising by 50 per cent jobs of operating and maintaining ferryboats covering those of sea engineers, ship safety technicians, sailors, accounting managers, ship traffic supervisors, port monitors and navigators.
Full localisation, meanwhile, covers other jobs entailing sea hosts, ticket clerks, accounting clerks, accounting assistants, financial clerks, accounting and budget managers, financial analysts, and seamen.
These rates will be applied in two phases: the first in six months from the decree date and the second in one year.
The regional localisation programme for Jazan is implemented by the Ministry of Human Resources in partnership with the Ministry of the Interior and local authorities with the aim of providing more “motivating and productive” work opportunities to citizens, the report said.
Last week, the Ministry of Human Resources decreed localising a number of professions in the holy city of Medina as part of the regional scheme.
The ministry said it will offer a package of incentives and support to private sector establishments to help them employ Saudis. These incentives include support to the process of searching for qualified employees, training and employment continuity.
Saudi Arabia, a country of around 34.8 million people, is home to a large community of migrant workers.
In recent years, the kingdom has launched a series of initiatives to employ its nationals and replace foreign workers in several fields including education, telecommunications and real estate as part of a labour policy known as “Saudisation”.
In June, ministerial decrees were announced restricting jobs in certain sectors to Saudis only. They covered, optics professions, customer services, licensed aviation professions including co-pilots and air controllers, sales outlets and periodic checks of cars.
