Saudi Gazette report
MAKKAH — Expatriates belonging to 26 nationalities are in control of about 90 professions in the Kingdom, Makkah Arabic daily reported on Monday quoting the study of a survey.
The study, conducted by the Saudi Medical Center for Consultations and Studies (SMC), said the Saudis came at the bottom of the list working in only nine professions.
According to the survey, Saudis are in control of the teaching profession and the Qur’an memorization circles. They are also mosque imams, muezzins, front desk officials at commercial banks, drivers of public transport buses, drivers of school buses, car auction dealers, drivers of heavy trucks and security guards.
The survey, released by the center on Sunday, said expatriates from nine nationalities are in full control of about 70 percent of the jobs in the private sector. These countries, according to the survey, are Pakistan, Yemen, Egypt, India, Bangladesh, Jordan, Palestine, Sudan and Syria.
Jamal Bannoun, director of the center, said the field survey did not include the other office jobs with which the Saudis have no direct daily contacts.
The survey said the Yemenis are in complete control of the tobacco and shisha market in addition to the restaurants which sell rice cooked with meat or chicken.
The Egyptians and Indians constitute the majority of pharmacists in Saudi Arabia while expatriates from 10 nationalities including the Philippines, Indonesia and Ethiopia, constitute the bulk of workers in beauty salons.
The survey said competition is razor-sharp among expatriates from Pakistan, Yemen, Egypt and India to have the largest chunk of the labor market.
It noted that the Bukhari rice restaurants, which the Saudis prefer, are mainly run by expats from Turkmenistan.
The Yemenis, on the other hand, are working as cooks in popular restaurants selling grilled or fried liver which the Saudis prefer to take for breakfast.
The survey said 19 nationalities, including Saudi citizens, constitute the largest number of workers in the shops selling mobile phones and their accessories, shipping offices, barber shops, car workshops, exchange offices, and bakeries.
These nations are: Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Palestine, Jordan, Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Yemen, Egypt, Syria, lebanon, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan and Bukhara.
A total of 60 researchers from 10 Saudi cities, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah, participated in the survey.
