Nitaqat 3 to check fake employment

JEDDAH: A well-informed source at the Ministry of Labor in Riyadh has said that launching the Nitaqat 3 program will contribute to reducing the rate of fake employment figures at all establishments.
It will also help to ensure the Saudization of jobs, the source said, adding that the establishments will be classified according to the wages of Saudi employees and the proportion of Saudis working there compared to expatriate workers.
The source also confirmed that when an establishment is found to grant Saudis higher wages, its classification in the program gets boosted.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labor dismissed rumors that there are currently 298,000 fake jobs for women across the construction and retail sectors.
Khalid Aba Al-Khail, director of media and information at the ministry, said in a statement recently that reports of inflated female employment figures included some inaccurate data and information, but he confirmed the active participation of women in all business sectors.
He said that the ministry does not deny that there are some cases of fake employment in some establishments, explaining that the ministry has taken punitive measures against those establishments, including denying them the right to recruit foreign labor and imposing fines on them.
He noted that fines imposed on establishments using fake female employment figures were increased to SR25,000 for each proven case of the malpractice.
“The ministry is currently in the process of developing its capacities to take into consideration the share of Saudis in the payrolls of each establishment, the rate of job retention among Saudis and their participation levels in leadership positions when deciding the classification of the establishment in Nataqat,” he said.