Job Discussion Forums

[2buckets]

"Though the mills of God grind slowly; Yet they grind exceeding small."

As I've written before, I hoped to live long enough to see this happen.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/17/world/middleeast/young-saudis-see-cushy-jobs-vanish-along-with-nations-oil-wealth.html?emc=edit_th_20160217&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=2620956&_r=0

[1chunk]

Article is spot on. I have came across many ''I want Government Job...Because easy''

Well, times are changing Mohammed.

It is changing for expats too. Only a matter of time before taxes are introduced, the Riyal may be devalued against the dollar. Is it time to start packing our bags?

[plumpy nut]

How long before the Direct Hire jobs evaporate? At some point no more Arabic dancing and prancing for some of the people on this forum. One economic expert is saying a 40% chance that if oil prices remain the same of the Riyal being devalued. If they don't remain the same 25% chance. Maybe perhaps that is a little too rosy now.

[In the heat of the moment]

The effect on salaries (or, rather, money sent home) would be felt, certainly, but the effect on the profits on foreign companies' earnings and inflation of imported goods (most of them in the KSA, including arms) would be hard(er) to bear. If the Riyal devalued against the dollar it would also devalue against all other major currencies.

Income is mostly in petro dollars so would increase, but inflation for everybody in the Kingdom would be immediate and risky for those in power. Taxes couldn't be reduced to offset the increase in living costs because there aren't any, wage increases would likely be uneven and sporadic leading to further unrest.

[murray1978]

Thank you for posting the article. I think it is spot on. If the salaries and sending money home decrease, they will have a harder time bringing in teachers.

I think the ESL market is shrinking across the globe but that is just my opinion.

For the record, I do like Saudi Arabia because I am able to get off the booze, exercise at top notch gyms and pick up a few extra hobbies such as learning the guitar, a language or study for my DELTA.

However, if salaries are shrinking or the Riyal is weak, there really is no point in staying here to bank money.

[McBrainiac]

Because of recent developments, it may be time to consider leaving the KSA if you can afford to. Looking for other decent international opportunities in a shrinking ESL job market takes longer these days, but might be worth seriously considering at this point. This is especially true for those who have had their passports withheld by their Saudi employers. No matter how good the reputation of an employer, I wouldn't risk doing this in the present environment.

Just my two cents. Best to all.

[scot47]

I left at an opportune time. I would not recommend KSA as a destination now, but I know some people need a job. We live in desperate times.

[MixtecaMike]

[scot47]

The time was not really of my choosing. I had a number of medical problems. Sometimes decisions are made for us.

[Captain Willard]

The typical Saudi aspires to have a government job where he or she does nothing but drink tea with other Saudis while relying upon foreign (frequently Asian) employees to get the job done. When by the sheer weight of the numbers in the changing demographics Saudis are "humiliated" into doing actual work, the social hierarchy will be greatly disturbed. Things will get interesting for sure.

[scot47]

Have a look at the banks, Lots of Saudis doing ordinary jobs there. I was in the airline when secretarial jobs held by Asians were localised in the 1990s. Critics said that no Saudi would do those jobs for SAR3700 a month. They did and it seems to have gone quite well. It is a myth that Saudis are only able to consider a post as "Mudir".

[bigdurianthesecond]

There are still well paying jobs, just got to find them.

[McBrainiac]

Like Scot47, I also worked at KFUPM for years. When I was preparing to leave, I was given a sign out sheet that I was required to get signatures from various departments, supposedly to insure that I had not pilfered anything from the university. This included, most obviously, the library, but also had many obscure departments that nobody would ever have any reason to have contact with, let alone borrow anything from.

I will never forget when I had to find a department head whose department was no longer in the central administrative building, but had relocated to a new building "somewhere near the north gate." KFUPM's campus is huge, but after a couple of days of looking, I was able to find the department HQ, but, alas, not able to locate the guy who was supposed to sign my sign out form.

I was told that this person had not showed up to work for at least a year. He was a local with "WASTA" who still collected a regular paycheck, they said. The Indian gentlemen who ran this department in the locals absence, were initially perplexed as to what should be done.

Finally, these two guys discussed the situation, and one of them was able to procure a key to the local's desk, in which was found the signature stamp that I would need on my sign out sheet. I believe that the custom of giving locals jobs for which they didn't have to show up was a common practice.

I'd be willing to bet that they are not going to let people get away with this for much longer, given the present harsh fiscal reality.

[scot47]

Collecting the signatures at KFUPM was difficult. The job itself was fine, and in retrospect for me it was the best EFLing job (Effing job ?) I ever had. McBrainiac mentions the library at KFUPM. A great place - hardly used by staff or students. Huge collections of English Literature and books of general interest including History and Travel. In the early days of KFUPM, the university commissioned an American librarian to "establish a library". He did just that and made a good job of it.

[johnslat]

Saudi is not alone in this practice, which, in the US, is called "featherbedding."

Brazil

In Brazil, featherbedding is considered endemic in government-owned and private-sector industries. Some analysts argue that featherbedding is a reaction to economic insecurity, and helps stabilize the national economy by spreading wealth.[20]
France

In France, featherbedding was encouraged by the nationalized rail transportation system after World War Two with a view to keeping down the unemployment rate. This was in addition to railway express rates being kept very low. The railroad ran at a huge deficit as a result.[21]

Japan

In post-war Japan, featherbedding is uncommon. A post-war consensus emerged among labor unions that featherbedding was not in the best interest of workers, and unions in Japan have tended to avoid the practice. A heavy government emphasis on full employment and a strong social safety net helped reinforce this consensus.[22]

Sweden

There are no national, regional, or local statutes or regulations governing labor unions in Sweden. Sweden has no national bureau or agency overseeing or regulating labor relations, and no agency monitors or regulates internal trade union matters. Nevertheless, despite relatively close relationships between employers and unions, featherbedding is almost unknown in Sweden.[23]

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, featherbedding is also referred to as "overmanning."[24]

United States

In the U.S., the Taft-Hartley Act defines and outlaws featherbedding.[25] However, as previously noted, the U.S. Supreme Court has narrowly defined featherbedding, leaving most practices undisturbed."

Regards,
John