Al-Jazirah

I AM surprised by people who ask whether the Saudis have the necessary experience to work in retail shops selling medical equipment, construction materials and car spare parts, which are some of the sectors that have been Saudized starting last week.

Before giving my response to this question, I ask with all due respect to everyone, did any of the expats who left the market now have any experience when they started work in these shops. The answer is a big no.

Then why do we doubt the abilities of the youth of our country to adapt and learn the essentials of the job after joining the work? We allowed the expats to work without any previous experience in many fields.

In the past five months, sales jobs in 12 sectors were Saudized and the last ones were sweet shops and carpet showrooms. Jobs in these fields are new to young Saudi men and women but they have no option but go through these experiences in order to succeed in their life. With every step taken by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development to Saudize a profession, I find myself siding with the ministry and praising its efforts, even though I believe that there are more important sectors that need to be Saudized.

My happiness is derived from the fact that there are new opportunities opening up for our youth in the job market with each sector being focused on for Saudization. At the end, we will reach our targeted goal, especially with the training and rehabilitation programs under way.

When we learn that half a million Saudi women entered the job market because of the Saudization drive, we will easily realize that we are moving in the right direction and we will open more fields for our youth, making them capable of standing on their own feet.

The large number of girls who are employed now used to stay at home doing nothing. Now they work in a secure environment in a society that is open and determined to succeed. Our youth are trying to turn our society to an ideal and active one where each individual is working toward a better future in accordance to the ambitious Vision 2030.

I send my thanks and best regards to our expat friends who lived with us in this great country for many decades. They worked hard when Saudi Arabia opened the door for them not only to contribute to the country’s development but also to achieve their own dreams living side by side with their Saudi brothers. We wish them all the best in their work in Saudi Arabia or outside. We believe that they have the same feeling toward Saudi men and women and the country that was their home for long.