12 May 2014
RIYADH - A number of economists expect the remittances of expatriates this year to go up to about SR160 billion compared to SR148 billion last year, a section of the Arabic press reported on Sunday.
Economists attributed this increase to the failure of the plans and policies of the Labor Ministry to Saudize jobs which were occupied by expatriates.
They also said the size of the remittances does not reflect the salaries of expatriates, but is an indication of the illegal trade activities through Tasatur (doing business under names of Saudis). They said a number of expatriates were practicing what is known as "clandestine economy" in many regions of the Kingdom."There is a steady growth of the remittances year after year," Abdul Hameed Al-Amri, an economist, said.
He said the Saudization plans and polices of the Labor Ministry have entered their fourth year without any success. "These plans were rather a complete failure," he added. Al-Amri expected the money transfers of expatriates to reach between SR158-160 billion this year and said the Ministry of Labor is responsible for this hike.
"About 75 percent of the employment of Saudis currently taking place in the Kingdom is fake job nationalization resorted to by the private sector to circumvent the programs and procedures of the ministry," he said.
The economist said the private sector has achieved great success in its endeavors to go over the Labor Ministry's polices and said there are more than 150,000 Saudi women who are falsely employed in the construction sector. "The employment of this large number of women in a male-dominated sector is an indication of the fake employment of Saudis," he said.
According to the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), the remittances of the expatriates jumped to SR14.3 billion, an increase of 22 percent, from SR11.7 billion the same period from the previous year.
It said in 2013, the remittances went up to SR148 billion compared to SR125.2 billion in 2012, an increase of 18 percent.
RIYADH - A number of economists expect the remittances of expatriates this year to go up to about SR160 billion compared to SR148 billion last year, a section of the Arabic press reported on Sunday.
Economists attributed this increase to the failure of the plans and policies of the Labor Ministry to Saudize jobs which were occupied by expatriates.
They also said the size of the remittances does not reflect the salaries of expatriates, but is an indication of the illegal trade activities through Tasatur (doing business under names of Saudis). They said a number of expatriates were practicing what is known as "clandestine economy" in many regions of the Kingdom."There is a steady growth of the remittances year after year," Abdul Hameed Al-Amri, an economist, said.
He said the Saudization plans and polices of the Labor Ministry have entered their fourth year without any success. "These plans were rather a complete failure," he added. Al-Amri expected the money transfers of expatriates to reach between SR158-160 billion this year and said the Ministry of Labor is responsible for this hike.
"About 75 percent of the employment of Saudis currently taking place in the Kingdom is fake job nationalization resorted to by the private sector to circumvent the programs and procedures of the ministry," he said.
The economist said the private sector has achieved great success in its endeavors to go over the Labor Ministry's polices and said there are more than 150,000 Saudi women who are falsely employed in the construction sector. "The employment of this large number of women in a male-dominated sector is an indication of the fake employment of Saudis," he said.
According to the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), the remittances of the expatriates jumped to SR14.3 billion, an increase of 22 percent, from SR11.7 billion the same period from the previous year.
It said in 2013, the remittances went up to SR148 billion compared to SR125.2 billion in 2012, an increase of 18 percent.
© The Saudi Gazette 2014
