Saudi Arabia’s Labour Ministry has been asked by the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) to delay by three years the implementation of a programme to increase the percentage of Saudis working in private firms, a report said.

“The raising of Saudization percentage should be carried gradually within a timeframe of not less than two to three years,” the CSC said in a letter to Labour Minister Adel Fakeih, according to the report in Arab News.

Fakeih had recently announced that the third phase of the Nitaqat programme, featuring advanced systems to create more job openings for Saudis in the private sector, would be launched on April 20,.

The CSC pointed out that the number of Saudis at a recent job fair was much less than expected with only about 1,400 men and women attending interviews.

“Some of the jobs offered a monthly salary of SR15,000 ($4,000) while many companies were giving two-day weekend,” the CSC was quoted as saying.

A high Saudization rate would have a negative impact on the job market as companies would not be able to get adequate number of Saudi workers, the CSC said.

The Labour Ministry wanted downstream industries to raise the Saudization rate from 25 per cent to 41 per cent, big retail and wholesale firms from 29 per cent to 44 per cent and other bigger companies from 29 per cent to 66 per cent, the report said.