Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — The Ministry of Civil Service is working on eight new programs with a combined budget of SR2.7 million to improve the productivity of the public sector. At the top of these programs is restructuring of jobs in the public sector. The most important obstacle to raising productivity in the government sector is failing to link salaries, benefits and compensation with job performance and evaluation. The main thrust of this initiative is to study ways to create a fair salary scale that stimulates employee performance. Minister of Civil Service Sulaiman Al-Hamdan stressed that the ministry’s current payment mechanism was not compatible with the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the National Transition Program 2020. Both reform initiatives call for modernizing the salary system. There must be continuous efforts to develop the public services to enable the government agencies to attract competent cadres capable of accomplishing their priorities and initiatives. The new strategic role of the ministry will empower government agencies through the enactment and implementation of new regulations. Al-Hamdan revealed during an open meeting with 120 employees of the ministry the proposed organizational structure in light of the ministry’s new strategic role in empowering and supporting government agencies. Deputy Minister of Civil Service Abdullah Al-Malfi was also present at the meeting. The objectives of the Vision 2030 includes the re-examination and updating of civil service regulations with the participation of government agencies as well as a project for training the staff and heads of the human resources departments of the ministries and other government bodies. Al-Hamdan said, “Some of the work in the ministry will be automated in order to serve the people better. The ministry will reorganize its ranks and reshuffle the organizational structure to consolidate the concept of institutional work. The situation should not remain as it used to be because the rapid changes in the current stage of the Kingdom’s development requires us to lead the transformation process and make a very quick step forward to achieve the ministry’s objectives.”