Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07RIYADH2453
2007-12-10 15:27:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Riyadh
Cable title:  

AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH MINISTER OF LABOR GHAZI

Tags:  ELAB PHUM TIP SA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0002
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRH #2453 3441527
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 101527Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY RIYADH
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7199
UNCLAS RIYADH 002453 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB PHUM TIP SA
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH MINISTER OF LABOR GHAZI
AL-GOSAIBI

UNCLAS RIYADH 002453

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB PHUM TIP SA
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH MINISTER OF LABOR GHAZI
AL-GOSAIBI


1. Summary. During the Ambassador's call on Minister of
Labor Ghazi al-Gosaibi on December 10, al-Gosaibi discussed
the challenge of curbing Saudi unemployment in the midst of
demographic expansion. Al-Gosaibi explained that he is
trying to make employing Saudis more attractive by making
hiring foreigners less attractive. He also shared his view
that "no one" is interested in issuing a law to protect
domestic servants in the Kingdom because everyone is
comfortable with the status quo. End Summary.


2. During the Ambassador's call on Minister of Labor Ghazi
al-Gosaibi on December 10, al-Gosaibi identified reducing
Saudi unemployment as his primary goal. The Ambassador cited
Saudi Arabia's increasingly young population as a
circumstance exacerbating unemployment. Agreeing, al-Gosaibi
cited current unemployment figures for Saudis as 11% overall,
8% for men and 26% for women. Al-Gosaibi shared that
increasing employment opportunities for women is especially
difficult because of cultural resistance to women working
outside of the home and the need to provide separate working
spaces for men and women.


3. Al-Gosaibi seeks to reduce the Kingdom's historical
reliance on "cheap foreign labor" by limiting the number of
foreign workers that can be hired and making it more
expensive to hire them (thus making hiring Saudis more
attractive). Al-Gosaibi acknowledged that some progress can
be made with "draconian" measures requiring businesses to
hire Saudis, but that for ultimate success it must make
business sense to hire Saudis. He conceded that despite his
efforts, 1.8 million foreign workers (including 500,000
domestic workers) will arrive to work in Saudi Arabia this
year, bringing the number of foreign workers in the Kingdom
to 6.5 million. Al-Gosaibi observed that if women could
drive, there would be no need for the 200,000 foreign drivers
arriving to work in Saudi Arabia this year.


4. Al-Gosaibi is pessimistic regarding the possibility of a
law soon being issued to cover and protect domestic workers.
Clearly referring only to Saudi employers, he stated that "no
one" is interested in passing such a law because everyone is
satisfied with the status quo. Al-Gosaibi reported that,
while it is not compulsory, the Ministry may try to use a
model GCC law as a means of providing some additional
protections to domestic workers. He also offered to appoint
a person in his Ministry to serve as a source of information
about the Ministry's efforts to protect the rights of foreign
workers, and thus help ensure that the full extent of their
efforts on behalf of foreign workers is well understood by
the U.S.
FRAKER