HRD or manpower policy? Options for government intervention in the local labor market that depends upon a foreign labor force: the Saudi Arabian perspective

Abstract

The prolonged dependence on a foreign labor force in Saudi Arabia has created an ever-increasing feeling of discomfort for the government as well as for the local labor force. This paper outlines the problems associated with foreign workers against the alternatives of developing human resources locally through training and skill development. It also examines the stereotypical myths about the local Saudi workers among the private0sector decision makers. The paper later explores what policies are in practice to localize the labor force given the prevailing evidence from the local labor market. The paper then outlines a few general policy approaches to the nationalization of the local labor force, supported by more detailed implementation mechanism type of policies to effectively nationalize the labor force. The paper concludes with a few specific policy options that may well lead to the nationalization of the labor force through developing the skill profile of nationals in a concerted effort as a planned human resources development planning and selecting appropriate labor force importation policies. These policies represent the Saudi perspective on the general labor-importing countries' governments' positions, which are applicable to all the labor-importing countries given a few minor customization steps.