By Rashed Al-Fawzan
Many employers are reluctant to hire Saudis because of claims that they do not take work seriously. However, this is not true. Each employer has a duty to pay back to society for he would not have started and succeeded in business had it not been for the excellent economic conditions and resources provided by the government.
It is better for an employer to hire a Saudi instead of an expatriate because the former will benefit the company and national economy in the long run. Companies should give Saudi workers a chance to prove themselves and should invest in them and train them.
The private sector could create job opportunities for the unemployed. It could create more job opportunities than what is needed because our national economy is strong and healthy.
However, we have another problem. A large number of Saudis prefer public sector jobs to those in the private sector because the private sector does not offer the same benefits and job security. This is a huge gap that should be bridged. We have to change the way Saudi men and women view jobs in the private sector. We also have to create better job opportunities for women because the number of unemployed women is double that of men.
Job seekers, male and female, should understand that finding a job in the private sector is hard and keeping a job is even more difficult. They should realize that the private sector has a lot of challenges and that job seekers need to be patient and persistent, above all they should not give up easily. We need to instill these values in the minds of jobseekers to help them overcome the difficulties they encounter in the private sector.
