Minister states Saudization is not the solution to unemployment in Saudi

A cautious welcome is being given to a statement made by Saudi’s education minister, in which he said the controversial Saudization programme is not a solution for the kingdom.

In an interview given last Sunday, Education Minister Price Faisal bun Abdullah stated that the solution to the lack of job opportunities was the implementation of huge investment projects and the development of the economy. Saudization, he said, is not the answer to the kingdom’s rising unemployment figures.

According to the minister, creating job opportunities is the way forward, with expanded areas of work giving Saudis more chances to become productive. President of the Royal Chamber of Commerce Abdul Rahman al-Zamil agrees, saying that investment, high-tech developments and stricter implementation of kingdom’s laws will create more jobs for its citizens.

Al-Zamir is also in favour of contractors being forced to purchase local products, thus boosting local industries, and notes that the legalisation of over five million expat workers during the recent amnesty has resulted in the stabilisation of the market and a sense of security amongst migrant workers. A leading educationalist, Abdelelah Saaty, agreed with the minister but stressed the need for improvements in the quality of education in the kingdom, adding that leaping into Saudization may result in quantity where it’s quality that is needed.