When Saad Al Hazani postponed his studies four years ago to provide for his family, he never thought he would be able to finish his education. But a new initiative from the government to increase flexible working is giving him new hope.
The 35-year-old said working as a salesman in the morning and studying business administration at night was “a real struggle.”
“I could not continue my education because I used to work day and night, so being able to go to work now a few hours, it would make my life much easier,” he said.
Since Sunday, Saudi private-sector employees can now accept hourly work without requiring employers to pay holiday or end of service benefits.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development launched the “flexible work system” to enable job seekers to engage in the labour market, increase their chances of finding a permanent job and empower the national workforce to raise their skills and experience.
The programme is also designed to support the private sector in meeting its urgent, temporary and seasonal needs for Saudi workers.
Ahmed Al Uthman, a human resources manager at a retail company in Jeddah welcomed the move to encourage flexible working practices and said he hopes it will work for both the employee and their employer.
Mr Al Uthman spoke to The National following the implementation of the new system.
“As a business, it is a good selling point that if you can encourage flexible working hours where you can, I hope the new system will increase the employment levels of Saudis who cannot or do not want to work in a full-time job,” he said.
Mr Al Uthman stressed that flexibility in working hours can grant employees comfort at work and at the same time help businesses hire better for their productivity levels.
Lujain Abdul Latif, who works in a store in the Red Sea Mall in Jeddah said she is looking for flexibility in their next role.
“Having a flexible work allows me to help support my family and be a good mother at the same time,” she said.
“I love to attend events and volunteer for various activities that are happening in town. Now, I could apply for a flexible job which allows me to be the person that I want to be and also take care of my family,” she added.
Khalid Al Harithy, a lawyer based in Jeddah said thanks to a new initiative, Saudi businesses will have even more ways to hire job seekers, reducing unemployment and ensuring income opportunities as the Covid-19 crisis rages on.
“This is a significant step forward as a business to acknowledge and encourage our workforce that has unique needs and is going through different life stages,” he said.
“Our young Saudis need flexibility and trust, and this new exciting plan gives that and more.”
Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed Al Rajhi said on Saturday that this regulation would contribute to support the Kingdom’s economy in terms of establishments and individuals to overcome the current crisis.
It will also be instrumental in achieving the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 by raising the rates of Saudi participation in the labour market and reducing the unemployment rate.
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Company%20Profile
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Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
Habib El Qalb
Assi Al Hallani
(Rotana)
