Layan Damanhouri

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH — The Ministry of Labor has been intensifying its efforts to fight tasattur (ventures foreigners run and control, usually in exchange for a fee paid to the registered Saudi owner) by launching an online portal allowing citizens to participate in approving labor policies before they become law.



Chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) Sheikh Saleh Kamel called for active participation in the ministry’s “Maan (Together)” website, which gives a 30-day period for citizens to discuss proposed laws and help end tasattur.



JCCI launched a workshop on Tuesday that aimed to combat this problem. Discussions revolved around the challenges facing the Saudi economy and developing policies in work permits.



Kamel expressed disappointment that only 5,000 out of 1.8 million private Saudi companies participated in the program.



He said: “There should be a strong connection between the public and the private sectors in order to combat tasattur in the Saudi labor market”.



The workshop was attended by members of the JCCI Board including Kamel, Secretary General Adnan Mandoura, Assistant Secretary General Muhyideen Hakami and other human resources directors in the private sector.



In addition, a number of economic advisers and analysts took part. Participants identified six challenges faced by the private sector. The first is the knowledge gap, in which human resources sectors lack knowledge in work and residence regulations.



The second challenge is the lack of training at the Ministry of Labor’s customer services department.



The third problem is that many companies, especially small businesses, cannot fulfill the requirements of the Nitaqat scheme that aims to improve Saudization levels.



The fourth issue is that there is little transparency in how to issue permits.



Many businesses complain that there are no clear guidelines on the procedures in addition to not understanding the specific role of the ministry. The fifth challenge is that the work and residence permit regulations have no flexibility.



For instance, the regulations do not match the labor market’s actual needs. The final difficulty, said participants, is that recruitment firms are not effective in several areas.