Hundreds of Yemenis working in Saudi Arabia, including academics, medical staff, and other professionals, have been terminated from their jobs in recent weeks. Most of those asked to leave were concentrated in the Kingdom’s southern region bordering Yemen.
On Tuesday, Reuters reported that Yemenis have complained of mass dismissals from their jobs by authorities without being given any reason. The exact number of layoffs is unknown. Those who spoke to the news agency said they were not given any justification for government orders to stop renewing the contracts of Yemenis in Saudi Arabia.
The agency stated that neither Saudi officials nor Yemeni authorities provided any explanations for the decision, and both sides refused to respond to requests for comments. However, a Saudi analyst said that the move aimed to reduce unemployment, currently at 11.7%, among Saudi citizens. The measures could also be based on security considerations as the Saudi-led coalition is fighting a war in Yemen against the Houthi rebels.
Moreover, a Yemeni government official told the news agency that the layoffs could affect “tens of thousands” of Yemenis, including labourers.
A Yemeni doctor said the community is “shocked by this because Yemenis avoid problems, especially with the war because they have no other options to make a living.” He added that all Yemeni doctors working in government hospitals in the south “were told our contracts would not be renewed.”
Last week, Middle East Eye mentioned that universities in the southern Saudi provinces of Baha, Jizan, Najran, and Asir had begun terminating the contracts of all Yemeni academics. An academic told the news site that they were given “only four months’ notice” to leave the country. It has also been reported that in Najran University alone, 106 Yemeni academics were terminated from their posts.
The Kingdom’s directives are in stark contrast to previous statements supporting Yemenis fleeing the civil war with jobs. In 2017, Saudi Arabia said it allowed Yemenis who fled the civil war and entered the Kingdom illegally to adjust their status and become legal residents. “This initiative has enabled more than 600,000 Yemenis to obtain medical care, education, and jobs,” Saudi officials stated.
However, in 2020, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor accused the Kingdom of imposing harsh measures on the Yemenis. “One of the most significant burdens imposed by Saudi authorities on migrant workers is the taxes on services, housing and accompanying individuals,” the report stated. It also estimated that around 1.6 million workers had to leave the country following the imposition of an annual fee of 100 Riyals on accompanying persons. In 2020, the fee increased by an additional 400 Riyals.
Saudi Arabia hosts around two million Yemeni workers, of which thousands are highly qualified and have been working in education, medicine, and other professions across the country.
Hundreds of Yemenis Terminated From Jobs in Saudi Arabia
Hundreds of Yemenis have been terminated from their jobs in Saudi Arabia. As per reports, the layoffs are part of efforts to tackle Saudi unemployment.
August 18, 2021
A Yemeni man walks with his wife as they arrive to stamp their passports to enter Saudi Arabia at Al-Tiwal crossing in Jizan on Saudi Arabia's border with Yemen, April 7, 2015. SOURCE: REUTERS