Shortage of craftsmen, tasattur hamper gold sector Saudization

DAMMAM — The scarcity of trained artisans is hampering the nationalization of jobs in the gold and jewelry sector, according to Abdul Ghani Al-Mahana, chairman of the gold committee in the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“The other factors obstructing the Saudization of jobs in the gold sector is the tasattur under which expatriates own and run the gold shops,” he told the Arabic daily Al-Watan on Wednesday.

He said despite the decision of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development to fully Saudize jobs in the sector, some expatriates were going around the law, tightening their grip on the highly profitable industry.

Mahana recalled that the tasattur in the gold sector has been going on for many years and said it would be difficult to put an end to it at short notice.

He said these shop owners came to their shops for control and supervision and while expatriate goldsmiths worked nights without any fear of raids by the ministry’s inspectors.

Mahana said the Saudization process varied from one area to another noting that it was high in the Eastern Province while it was extremely low in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah and other towns and cities.

He said the commercial side of the gold shops did not face any problem in Saudizing jobs but the industrial side was affected because of the rarity of qualified Saudi craftsmen.

According to Mahana, jewelry making is not taught at schools or specialist centers but is inherited through generations in families and is promoted through practice.

He said the children of Saudi goldsmiths did not inherit the love of the job from their fathers as they did not have the desire or patience to sit for eight hours or more to work on a piece of jewelry.

Mahana said the expatriates, who owned the gold shops, did not prefer to employ Saudis but were rather after employing their kin and compatriots because they could trust them more.

He asked the Saudi shop owners to start by employing their relatives so as to bridge the gap of trust and said the expatriates should not be given permits to work in the gold and jewel industry.

Mahana said during the past six months, the ministry uncovered as many as 3,452 violations in gold and jewel shops.