Link to Article: “Saudi Arabia to remove key restrictions on foreign workers”
Saudi Arabia has announced plans to reform restrictions regarding foreign workers in the country. New rights are set to go into effect in March 2021. Currently, Saudi labor restrictions have placed millions of workers in poorly paying jobs and subject them to exploitation. The legal status of foreign workers is connected to their employer through the “kafala” system. Because of this, foreign employees haven’t had the freedom to switch jobs, move in and out of the countries borders, and obtain exit visas without the approval of their employer. The new reforms are being created in hopes to ameliorate Saudi Arabia’s labor market.
Although much of the “kafala” sponsorship system is being reformed, many are unclear on what exactly is being changed and what apects will remain. There are still questions regarding which workers will be affected and employer rights.
A researcher at the HRW, Rothna Begum, states, “Partial reforms like removing the need for employer consent to change employers and leave the country are significant, but workers can become trapped in other ways when such elements remain,”
Saudi Arabia’s efforts to revise its labor laws are a step in the right direction for the nation. The nation is seeing development in labor rights, as the government focuses on improving conditions for its citizens and foreign citizens working in the country. Additionally, by making its job market look more desirable, more foreign workers will be interested in working within the country. More action within businesses would result in an increase in the movement of the economy which could prove beneficial.
Reforms, however, would limit control that employers are used to having over their employees. This may upset those who are used to holding higher authority over workers, which may disrupt relations between civilians and Saudi officials, but in the long run, the changes will lead to better working conditions overall. Although the kafala system may not be completely reformed at once, Saudi Arabia is making progress in bettering its labor laws.
Saudi Arabia, formally known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is ruled by an absolute monarchy. Its king, Salman of Saudi Arabia, is head of both the state and government. On a state-level analysis, migrants from countries around the Middle East arrive in Saudi Arabia seeking work but end up in poor situations due to labor restrictions. This, in turn, reflects badly upon the nation’s labor market. Saudi Arabia is attempting to resolve the issue. Saudi Arabia, being a major international producer of fossil fuels, is also the heart of many major MNC’s whose business may be impacted by the change in worker rights, and may see an increase in available labor, but a decrease in control over employees.