RIYADH: Pakistan aims to strengthen its workforce in Saudi Arabia’s development projects to strengthen collaboration with the Kingdom’s government and the private sector, according to a senior official of the Asian nation.
Jawad Sohrab, special assistant to Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, told Arab News that his country is working to ensure that workers coming to the Kingdom have the required skills.
He also highlighted the strong and deep “brotherhood” relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, as evidenced by the nearly 3 million-strong Pakistani diaspora in the Kingdom.
“There are many projects underway in Saudi Arabia and we want to increase the number of Pakistani workers in these projects. Saudi Arabia is progressing at a very fast pace, so we want to be part of this journey of Saudi Arabia over the next few years,” said Sohrab.
The demand spans various sectors, including healthcare, information technology and construction.
Sohrab was keen to emphasize that demand in the Kingdom was constantly changing and would require flexibility in workforce planning.
Saudi Arabia is progressing at a very rapid pace, which is why we want to be part of its journey over the coming years.
Jawad SohrabSpecial Assistant to Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development
“There are a lot of requirements in the construction sector, which is why we mainly focus on the construction sector. As time passes, when these projects are completed in the next few years, perhaps we will focus more on the service sector,” he said.
He added: “Once all this development progress is completed in Saudi Arabia, then you will move on to the next phase, which would be healthcare… hospitality, the various other sectors that will come into place after the progress of the construction industry. »
The advisor made the remarks during a visit to Saudi Arabia, which he said focused on meeting members of the Kingdom’s private sector as well as “government companies on human resources.”
He said the focus was on the construction, IT, mining and agriculture sectors, so that it could “assess the demand and skill set required”.
FASTDO
The significant number of Pakistanis working in Saudi Arabia, accounting for 12% of expatriates, could increase thanks to these developments, which include the Red Sea project, the development and expansion of Mecca and the city of NEOM, by value of 500 billion dollars.
Sohrab added: “We would then come back, train them and hopefully be able to secure the supply of demand-driven human resources that Saudi Arabia needs.” »
Moreover, on the sidelines of its visit to Saudi Arabia, the Overseas Employment Corporation of Pakistan signed memorandums of understanding with various private companies in the Kingdom.
“Saudi Arabia needs human resources, and Pakistan has too many,” Sohrab stressed.
Adding that it is a “win-win situation for both countries”. as the Kingdom would benefit from all the manpower it needs to build all projects related to the Vision 2030 initiative aimed at diversifying the economy away from oil.
The advisor also said that the significant number of Pakistanis working in Saudi Arabia, accounting for 12 percent of expatriates, could increase thanks to these developments, which include the Red Sea project, the development and expansion of Mecca and the NEOM city, worth $500 billion.
According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Sohrab met with government ministers and major Saudi companies to highlight the need and advocate for more opportunities for the workforce skilled and unskilled Pakistani women in a wider range of sectors including construction, hospitality, services, nursing and care.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share deep cultural, military and economic ties rooted in history and religion, with the Kingdom being the largest contributor to remittances to the South Asian country.
We are exploring opportunities for our startups to come here and raise investment from Saudi investors. These startups have raised over $800 million in the last two years alone and are now poised to take off.
Omar SaifActing Minister of Information Technology of Pakistan
The visit aims to align the country’s workforce with Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation agenda under Vision 2030, a strategic development framework intended to reduce the Kingdom’s dependence on oil and foster partnership solid for mutual benefit, according to the ministry.
In October, Pakistan’s caretaker Information Technology Minister Umar Saif announced that Saudi Arabia was set to establish a dedicated office to streamline the registration of Pakistani IT companies seeking to establish themselves in the Kingdom.
This development coincided with the signing of a memorandum of understanding in Riyadh between the two countries to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of information technology.
According to a statement from the Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh, the agreement focuses on accelerating digital transformation, promoting innovation and developing digital infrastructure.
The memorandum of understanding, signed by Saudi Minister of Communication and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Swaha, states that the two countries will encourage small and medium-sized businesses and startup ecosystems.
They plan to collaborate on initiatives related to business transfer and information exchange on emerging technology accelerators and incubators.
“We are exploring opportunities for our startups to come here and raise investment from Saudi investors. These startups have raised over $800 million in the last two years alone and are now poised to take off. I think each of these startups has the potential to become a billion-dollar company,” Saif told Arab News in October.
