Labor Ministry move gives firms Saudization relief

February 9, 2015

Jeddah, Feb 9: The Labor Ministry has softened its Saudization drive in favor of businesses by canceling a previous decision that demanded 13 weeks for confirmation of a Saudi’s appointment as a full employee under Nitaqat.

Labor Ministry

Under the new decision, a Saudi would be calculated in the Nitaqat system soon after his registration with the General Organization for Social Insurance, provided the company must have paid the worker’s premium.

“The new system is applicable to all Nitaqat categories as well as small firms having nine workers or less,” a Labor Ministry statement said, adding that the new decision would be applicable from Feb. 22. It cancels all the previous decisions that contradict with it, the ministry said.

The cancellation came in a response to a request made by the Council of Saudi Chambers to protect the interests of private companies.

The ministry had implemented the mechanism about six months ago to ensure that private companies follow the Saudization regulations and prevent false nationalization of jobs.

The ministry was calculating the number of Saudis at a company over successive periods of 13 weeks. The move was aimed at tracking whether employers are holding on to their Saudi employees, said Hattab Al-Anazi, spokesman of the Ministry of Labor.

In the first month, the Saudization percentage is calculated by counting the new Saudi employee as a one-third employee, in the second month the employee is calculated as a two-thirds employee. In the third month, each new Saudi is counted as a full employee.

Under Nitaqat, there are varying Saudization percentages for various industries. For example, the quota at banks employing 500 people or more is a minimum of 49 percent.

For the media sector, it is 19 percent. Commercial establishments, insurance companies and public schools also have to stick to the 19 percent minimum.

For some business activities, such as lingerie shops, 100 percent Saudization is required, specifically aimed at providing employment to Saudi women.

Official figures put the level of unemployment at 10 percent, but among women employment rate could be as high as 30 percent.

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Five deaths, 1,351 new cases, 210 recoveries in Saudi Arabia

News Network

April 30,2020

Riyadh, Apr 30: Saudi Arabia on Thursday recorded 1,351 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 22,753, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

The ministry also announced 5 more deaths and 210 new recoveries, raising the total number of fatalities and recoveries to 162 and 3,163 respectively.

Riyadh with 440 cases topped the list, followed by 392 cases in Makkah, 120 in Jeddah and 119 in Madinah.

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Dubai lucky draw: Kerala man wins Rs 7.59 crore; NRI wins BMW motorbike

News Network

May 22,2020

Rajan Kurian with wife Berly Rajan Kurian, son Brian, daughter Bella and mother Valsa

Dubai, May 22: A 43-year-old Indian businessman won USD one million (approximately Rs 7.59 crore) in the Dubai Duty Free draw.

Rajan Kurian, who owns a construction business in Kerala, had bought the ticket online.

Mr Kurian said he was grateful for the win, considering the gloomy circumstances prevailing in the world due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I will set aside a good part of my win to help the needy. I feel grateful with the win but I need to share it with people who need it," he said.

Mr Kurian said some of the money will go into growing his business.

"The last few months have been tough with the COVID-19 situation. My business has come to a standstill. This money will be put to good use," he said.

An Indian expat also won a BMW motorbike in the lucky draw held on Wednesday.

A longtime resident of Dubai for 30 years now, 57-year-old Syed Hydrose Abdulla, who works as a public relations officer in a beverages company, had also bought the ticket online.

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Lucky prize money send me please

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Saudi Arabia: 429 new corona cases found; total 4462 including 59 deaths

Gulf News

April 12,2020

Dubai, Apr 12: Saudi Arabia reported 429 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 4462, the Ministry of Health announced on Sunday.

The ministry also confirmed 7 deaths bringing the total number of deaths in the kingdom to 59.

According to the ministry of health the number of recoveries are 41 cases, making total of recoveries 761.

Ministry also said that 40,000 have been quarantined since the beginning of the epidemic, and only 7,000 remain in quarantine, including those who recently returned from abroad.

Extension of curfew

Early on Sunday, King Salman approved the extension of curfew until further notice due to current rates of coronavirus spread, the official news agency SPA announced.

Earlier last week, Saudi Arabia imposed a 24-hour curfew and lockdown on the cities of Riyadh, Tabuk, Dammam, Dhahran and Hofuf and throughout the governorates of Jeddah, Taif, Qatif and Khobar.

Authorities had already sealed off the holy cities of Makkah and Medina along with Riyadh and Jeddah, barring people from entering and exiting as well as prohibiting movement between all provinces.

Total lockdown on Medina neighbourhoods

The Ministry of Interior also announced a total lockdown on five neighbourhoods in Medina on thursday until further notice. The neighborhoods include Al Sherbat; Bani Dhafar; Qurban, Al Jumuah; and parts of Al Iskan district and Bani Khudrah. No one is allowed to enter or exit these areas.

An official source from the ministry highlighted that the Ministry of Labor and Social Development will provide residents of these neighbourhoods with food baskets and will follow up on their needs while the ministry of health will provide them with necessary medications.

Saudi Arabia, which has reported the highest number of infections in the Gulf, is making every possible effort to limit the spread of the disease at home.

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