Nitaqat rules for Palestinians and Turkistanis eased

The Labor Ministry said yesterday it would consider employment of four Palestinians and Turkistanis equal to one foreign worker in the Nitaqat system.
“The employment of foreigners exempted from deportation will be considered 0.25 points in the Nitaqat system and this group of workers includes Palestinians and Turkistanis in addition to Burmese,” said Hattab Al-Anazi, spokesman of the ministry.
Two days ago the ministry said it would consider employment of four Burmese workers equal to one expat under the Nitaqat system.
The move was widely applauded by the country’s 350,000-strong Burmese community.
“The move not only applies to the Burmese but also other nationals exempt from deportation including Palestinians and Turkistanis,” said Al-Anazi, adding that the move would help private sector make use of these workers available in the Kingdom, instead of recruiting foreigners.
However, he pointed out that such group of workers should not exceed 50 percent of total workers in a company. “If they exceed the limit, then each such worker would be considered one expat worker,” he explained.
According to one report, there are 291,495 Palestinians in the Kingdom. The number of Turkistanis is estimated at 50,000.