RIYADH, June 15: With an emphasis in the Gulf for skilled labour, the Saudi Labour Ministry is conducting a study to streamline recruitment of workforce from Pakistan, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the press here reported today.

Those seeking job in Saudi Arabia may have to undertake skill tests before a job contract and visa is issued to them.

In order to make the labour exporting countries understand this new system, to be put into practice soon, the Saudi Minister for Labour Adel Fakeih had a meeting with representatives of the above seven major labour exporting Asian countries on Wednesday in Geneva on the sidelines of the ongoing 101st session of the International Labour Conference.

Announcing the move, Fakeih said that the study was aimed at ensuring the quality of recruited foreign workforce, a matter that will improve productivity on the one hand and minimise work problems arising between workers and their employers on the other, the press reported. The new move will ensure compliance of workers’ skills with the contracted jobs and lay down appropriate measures and regulations to protect the rights of the workers as well as employers. During the meeting, the Ministry of Labour also shared its plans to conduct a labour recruitment study designed to investigate ways to ensure the fairness and transparency of the recruitment process and contractual policies.

Saudi Arabia is the largest employer of foreign labour in the Middle East with an estimated foreign labour force of over eight million workers. The ministry had earlier announced its plans to conduct skills tests for foreign workers to make sure they are qualified to do their jobs. The issuance of work permits to foreigners, it is now being reported, will depend on their performance in the professional skills tests.

Already, a consortium led by AwalNet, a leading Internet service provider in the Kingdom, has won a SR 6 billion contract to undertake the skills testing of millions of foreigners in the Kingdom.

“We aim to become a favorite destination for quality foreign workers and we hope that this study will contribute to the development of recruitment policies that will attract qualified and trained foreign workers who will contribute positively to the development of our national economy,” Fakieh added, pointing out that the study will tackle the issue of recruitment costs and the development of more efficient recruitment and employment procedures in manpower-exporting countries.

Fakeih also told the meeting that in their drive to develop the regional labour market, the GCC labour ministers were making headway in boosting decent work standards and enhancing human dignity. They have also adopted a series of initiatives to develop labour markets, protect workers’ rights and promote decent work, the minister added.

He enumerated a number of examples in this context and said the United Arab Emirates would soon launch an e-initiative aimed at cooperation with India to give Indian workers access to the terms and conditions of their contracts prior to departure from India. The study is being conducted in the wake of a package of initiatives and programmes, launched in Saudi Arabia in recent months, aimed at providing more job opportunities to Saudi citizens and reducing the dependence and number of expatriate workers in the Kingdom. The programme empowering Saudi women to take part in the production process and similar programmes aimed at supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were also unveiled over the last few months.