15 million work visas
The Ministry of Labor revealed the following: 15 million visas were authorized since 2004, and up to 2012. So, the last ten years created 15 million job opportunities for non-Saudis for one reason or another. Some Saudi experts commented that by the end of 2013 the number of work visas might reach up to 16 million. The commentators’ calculation is based on the massive construction projects approved in the 2013 budget. This, of course, calls for thousands of laborers to handle.
The Saudi Ministry of Labor’s concerns are known and understandable, they do not want things to get out of control. Especially if we know that replacement plans are applied aggressively (replacing non-Saudis with Saudis even in the field of construction). Although I understand many of the national concerns, as a Saudi, yet I do not understand why isn’t there a serious training to create such skilled Saudi youth. The training facilities available at the moment can never meet the growing demand for electricians, carpenters, constructors, etc.
There should be serious amendments to improve functional education in order to bet on the usefulness of replacement.
The writer is Media Manager, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Twitter: @abdullahsayel
Email: [email protected]
