Saudi Arabia Employment Update—There are few people in Saudi Arabia due to the vastness of the desert, which is understandable. Over eighty percent of Saudi Arabia’s 32 million population lives in Riyadh and Jeddah. More than 10 million people, mainly from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, have relocated there searching for work. More than 100,000 North American and European expatriates are reported living in the country.
Even though Saudi Arabia aims to be a contemporary state in many ways, the country nonetheless possesses one of the world’s most traditional societies. Immigrants must adapt to the country’s religious and cultural norms because the law is no more tolerant of them than locals in recent Saudi Arabia Employment Update.
Both Islamic and Bedouin cultural influences can be found in the local customs and attitudes. Saudi ex-pats will quickly learn that family ties are still much more robust than in many other societies and permeate all parts of life in the country, including the corporate world in recent Saudi Arabia employment Update.
The Quran’s strict interpretations heavily influence Saudi Arabian culture. Therefore, the visual arts like painting and sculpture can only use geometric shapes and flowery or abstract patterns because depictions of people are prohibited. For ex-pats moving to the Arabian Peninsula, giving up the pleasures of the theater is part and parcel of the experience.
Arab culture strongly emphasizes music, dance, and Bedouin poetry. However, strict censorship laws keep literature under control. If you’re an ex-pat in Saudi Arabia, you’ll quickly realize that not only is there no religious freedom, but there is also no freedom of expression.
The absence of religious landmarks in the birthplace of Islam may surprise you. Wahhabism (or Salafism), the predominant school of Islam in Saudi Arabia, teaches that idolatry is sinful and should be avoided at all costs.
Residency permits (iqamas) and visas for individuals stranded due to the travel ban were welcomed by ex-pats on Tuesday in recent Saudi Arabia employment Update.
Till September 30, Saudi Arabia has extended the validity free of charge.
The General Directorate of Passports will extend visitors, expatriates, and re-entry visas.
Residents of countries including Egypt, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, the UAE, Lebanon, South Africa, Ethiopia, Brazil, Afghanistan, and Vietnam will not be eligible for this visa.
According to the finance minister, the government’s continued efforts to reduce the epidemic’s impact and protect nationals’ and residents’ safety are reflected in the prolongation.
There is no need to go to the general directorate’s office to get the extension since it will be handled automatically by the National Information Center in recent Saudi Arabia employment update.
Egyptian expat Ayman Hassan told Arab News: “I am delighted to know of the validity of my iqama and my family’s re-entry visa as they are unable to return due to the travel ban.”. Like me, many expatriates cannot see their families because of travel bans in nations where they’ve relocated.
“In my case, I wasn’t lucky, as I paid for the renewal of my permit a few days back, now I came to know that it will be extended automatically until the end of next month, but, certainly, there are so many families that will benefit from this generous royal decree that takes into account people’s circumstances,” said a woman who had just paid for a permit renewal in recent Saudi Arabia employment update.
Pakistani construction engineer Syed Ishtiaq Alam lives in Riyadh with his family after being stranded in Karachi for almost four months.
“This automatic extension will bring some sense of relief for people anxiously waiting for the travel ban to end,” he said in an interview with Arab News. The free extension will alleviate the strain of renewal payments to some level, which will assist ease the financial burden in recent Saudi Arabia employment update. Most individuals are trying to come back via another country with a quarantine option, but it is not affordable for everyone as it is very costly.”
In June, Iqbal Ahmed flew to India to tie his long-term girlfriend.
According to an Arab News interview, the Saudi government is “continuously taking care of expatriates” by “extending the residency permit and exit re-entry visa as it was done in previous months and now till September 30.” Thank you, King Salman, for your great decision that will reduce the financial burden on ex-pats for the time being and allow us to handle our journey to the Kingdom through a bona fide channel for the time being. “
Saudi Arabia Employment: Adjusting Foreign Worker Hiring Costs
In Saudi Arabia, expatriate workers have welcomed official calls to adjust foreign worker hiring costs to be proportional to employees’ income in recent Saudi Arabia employment update.
However, they said that the fees expatriates pay for dependents who live with them in the Kingdom should be examined so that they, too, are wage commensurate.
Earlier this week, a member of the Shoura Council, Hazza Al-Qahtani, came out with a proposal for proportionate fees. To support small and medium-sized businesses in the Kingdom, he added that the charges have become an impediment to growth and must be re-examined to help lower operational costs and ensure growth and sustainability in recent Saudi Arabia employment update.
In January 2018, Saudi Arabia implemented a fixed monthly cost of SR400 ($107) for each foreign worker a business hires, payable when a work permit (iqama) is extended. For companies that employ as many Saudis as expatriates, the fee was slashed to SR300. This year, it’ll rise to SR600 or SR500, whereas the previous year’s SR800 or SR700 mark represented the highest price increase to date.
Also, on the Shoura Council, Sultana Al-Abadwi stated that SMEs have difficulties due to the financial obligations and administrative requirements imposed on them by various official entities. A review of the procedures and an evaluation of their impact on the institutions were among her demands.
In addition, expatriates indicated they hoped a review of the fixed costs they have to pay for their dependents who live in the Kingdom would make them more in line with their earnings.
“What I understand is that it is a proposal to bring relief to the SMEs, which as of this year have to pay SR800 for each foreign worker before renewal of the iqama,” a Pakistani expatriate working in Yanbu told Arab News.
For their families living with them in the Kingdom, expatriate workers will still be required to shell out an additional SR400 per month, and he pointed out. If this fee is decreased or made proportional to income, it would be a significant relief to them,” said Al-Najdi.
He told Arab News that he had been waiting for nearly two years to announce that the dependent fees would be eliminated or decreased. Raafat Aoun is a Lebanese national living in Jeddah.
I like the Shoura Council member’s idea of making expatriate fees equal to income, but I believe it should apply to expatriates and the enterprises that employ them.
“It is harming the business of the SMEs,” he remarked, referring to the financial responsibilities of both fees. Additionally, expatriates cannot afford to keep their families in Saudi Arabia. Reducing or making it proportional to income will undoubtedly stimulate business and so contribute to the Kingdom’s GDP, but I would prefer that the expatriate’s fee be eliminated.”
Teachers at International Indian Public School in Riyadh, including Mohammad Arshad Ali Khan, praised the plan.
“Saudi Arabia is a second home for all expats, and we are hoping for a good humanitarian decision from the Kingdom of humanity, which is experiencing changes as part of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s ambitious economic and social reforms,” he said in an interview with Arab News.