Saudization: A problem easily solved.

We've been here five years. During that period, officials here have been working to effectuate a solution to Saudization. I've blogged on the issue at least once, and have thrown tid-bits about the topic in other posts as well.

I was going to compile a list of articles about it - Saudization - and when I went to the Arab News to do this, was overwhelmed: there are 971 articles dating back from January 4, 2001, on the subject. Granted, not all of those 971 articles specifically relates to Saudization, but the majority of them do. This is not a new concern here, in The Sandbox, that there are so many unemployed Saudis. The Powers that Be ["TPTB"] regularly issue mandates and quotas to assuage themselves of responsibility for the situation which in turn mollifies the masses. One day it is the jewelry shops that must be Saudized, and another day it is the taxi cab industry [and this endeavor didn't work out well, at all!].

With the number of visas being issued every year to recruit workers increasing, how can TPTB possibly expect to solve the Saudization dilemma? This article states:

In one year the ministry issued nearly 3 million new visas and in the same year it employed 95,000 Saudis.

It means that for every employed Saudi, there are 31 employed expatriates.

Amazing. Simply amazing. A ratio of 1:31 of employed Saudis to employed expatriates. Is there ANY other country in the entire world that issues visas to workers on such a large scale?

As I see it, the whole matter could easily be rectified and TPTB could quit worrying about unemployed Saudis. I'm not going to sit here and type this and think for one single minute that TPTB haven't thought about this as a remedy, either. I just think that no one wants to be the bad guy in this situation and actually say this: Make your unemployed workers DO the jobs currently being done by the all of the laborers that you import!*

There you go. Problem solved. You're welcome!

*It will NEVER happen. We will be long gone from here - in however many years that might be - and the issue of Saudization, along with the issue of whether or not women will ever be allowed to drive in this Country, will continue to be debated by TPTB...