Expatriate Healthcare News: Expat residence 'should be curbed'
08/06/10 16:31
The number of expatriates working in the private sector in Saudi Arabia for a long period of time should be curbed to help reduce unemployment difficulties for Saudi nationals, according to a poll.
Daily newspaper Aleqtisadia asked its online readers whether the Saudi government should restrict the residence of expatriate workers to a certain time period, and of the 55 respondents, several believed some measures should be put in place to reduce the amount of time expats spent in the country.
Some of the readers favoured bringing in heavy income taxes on foreign workers during their limited stay, according to Business 24/7, while others were completely against the idea of expatriates taking jobs in Saudi Arabia at all.
One reader, who Business 24/7 named as Sami bin Mahmoud, said he agreed with the idea of limiting expatriate workers' stay.
"Those with low educational levels or who are illiterate are here just to earn their living by any means, including illegal means. Their presence in our country has given rise to crime," he wrote online.
The poll follows a report by Zawya news agency, which found national unemployment in Saudi Arabia in 2008 was close to 13 per cent, with 48 per cent of young people aged 20-24 out of work.
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