Jobless Saudis demand higher Nitaqat quotas

December 6, 2013

Jeddah, Dec 6: Jobless young Saudis have called on the Ministry of Labor to increase Nitaqat quotas at private firms and fill positions left vacant by departing illegal workers to solve the country's unemployment problem.

This comes as Minister of Labor Adel Fakeih recently announced that 250,000 Saudis have found jobs because of the rectification process.

A survey conducted by Arab News showed that many Saudis want the quotas increased, with some seeing positive signs that companies are employing more citizens.

“I've observed a noticeable rise in the number of companies looking for Saudi workers since the Labor Ministry introduced the Nitaqat program and the rectification campaign currently being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior,” Abdullah Al-Qadi, a citizen, told Arab News.

“We expect the ministry to raise the Saudization quotas in industries such as construction and contracting where very few Saudis are working even though there are huge projects under way. The contracting companies can appoint Saudis in administrative posts,” Al-Qadi said.

Another Saudi, Yusuf Sadiq, urged private companies to cooperate with the ministry by not appointing more expatriates. “Such patriotic acts will be more profitable for employers and the country. It will reduce the unemployment rate considerably,” he said.

He urged the government to provide more training and rehabilitation programs for young Saudis.

Nasser Al-Saedi, a citizen, said large companies were not helping to reduce the unemployment rate despite the government offering them massive contracts with huge concessions and incentives.

He said a tax should be imposed on expatriates for using the country's subsidized petrol and commodities. “It is logical to impose a levy on the subsidized services enjoyed by expatriate workers,” he said.

Asim Al-Masari said that expatriates have had easy access to the country's top jobs, creating the incorrect perception that Saudis are not qualified to take up these positions. He also urged the government to provide more training for Saudis because this would benefit companies and the country.

According to the Nitaqat program, the agriculture sector should have 27 percent Saudi staff, and banks 90 percent Saudis, especially if the company employs more than 3,000 workers. Crude oil production and the gas sector should have a Saudization rate of 85 percent.

Downstream industries with more than 3,000 workers should appoint 35 percent Saudis, the telecommunications sector 75 percent, the petrochemical sector 80 percent, printing and publishing 65 percent, information technology 45 percent and schools for boys 40 percent.

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Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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