Saudi- Competition is a must

(MENAFN- Arab News) This is with reference to the article 'Making Pvt. sector attractive for Saudis' (Sept. 13) by Rasheed Abou-Alsamh. I always read the articles of this writer as they are very balanced and objective. However in the article in question the writer has disappointed me. I have nothing against our Saudi brothers but the approach adopted by the writer is not balanced. It is true that the education level among Saudis is steadily increasing but we cannot ignore their overall attitude toward work. I have been in the Kingdom for more than a decade. I may not be as educated as the respected writer but I can claim with certain degree of confidence that the Saudi youth are usually not very serious about their careers. Perhaps it is due to the fact that they get everything on a platter. They don't have to struggle hard to get jobs. Avoiding the private sector is their personal choice. The employers who are obviously Saudis know that expatriates work harder than their Saudi counterparts. And Saudis know that in the private sector they have to compete with the expatriate workforce.

Secondly most of the Saudis want managerial positions immediately at the beginning of their careers. They don't understand that an inexperienced and untrained manager only becomes a liability on a company. There is a great need to change the attitudes of Saudi youth toward work. Competition is the key to progress. Rafay Kareem Riyadh