CSC Hosts Expansive Meeting on Labor Market Sector

The Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) hosted an expansive meeting between a delegation representing Sri Lankan laborers recruitment agencies and Saudi officials from the Ministry of Labor, recruitment offices, and business owners to discuss developments in the labor market in Saudi Arabia, and prospects of cooperation between the two sides.

Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Development Adnan Al Nuaim noted that Saudi Arabia has one of the largest labor markets in the world, with around 11 million foreign laborers from 200 nationalities working in various sectors, pointing to the rapid developments in the Saudi market following the launching of the Saudi Vision 2030, and the efforts of the Ministry of Labor to enhance the labor market so as to attract foreign laborers. He added that the Ministry works with the International Labor Organization, and all concerned bodies, to develop laws that protect the rights of business owners and laborers equally, and reduce violations against the latter.

Chairperson of the Saudi Committee for Labor Market at CSC Eng. Mansour Al Shethri stated that the meeting comes as part of the Saudi labor market’s efforts to regulate the sector and protect the right of foreign laborers in an environment that enhances relations between laborers and business owners.

For his part, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mohammed Azmi praised the cooperation between the two countries in various sectors, noting the positive experience of Sri Lankan laborers, whose history in the Saudi market date back to over 40 years. He pointed to the developments in the Kingdom Post-2030, stating that Sri Lanka is keen on being an effective participant in this process.

The meeting included a presentation on the Musaned Program, launched by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, which includes an electronic platform for various services, such as e-contracts, and e-visas, among others. The program aims at facilitating the recruitment process and protecting the rights of all parties involved.

Other presentations were given by recruitment companies, highlighting indicators of the Saudi labor market as the fourth largest market in the world, with around 2.3 million domestic laborers.

It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia is an active member of the International Labor Organization and developed laws in line with its provisions, and signed several agreements on protecting laborer rights and ensuring no violations against them in regards to working hours and payments