Making More of National Manpower

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The massive rise in visa fees for foreign workers, announced in January, suggests that the kingdom is finally taking decisive action on Saudiisation. The plan to replace foreign workers with nationals has long been declared a vital objective. The fee hike might slow the influx of foreign labour or it might prove to be no more than a handy revenue earner. Whatever the outcome, there can be no dispute that policy implementation has lagged far behind the rhetoric.

Saudiisation is enshrined, yet again, in the general objectives of the sixth five-year plan (1995-2000). The objectives are clearly stated. The aim is to "replace non-Saudis with appropriately qualified and willing-to-work Saudi manpower in all occupations" and to "continue the development of Saudi manpower through the meticulous evaluation of educational curricula and training programmes."

There has been progress. In the banking sector some 65-70 per cent of the workforce is Saudi Arabian. At the Saudi Petrochemical Company (Sadaf) …