The Labor Ministry has announced that it plans to ensure that only Saudis are hired for data entry jobs in eight sectors of the economy over the next two years.

The plan is to create jobs for Saudis but also ensure that customer data is protected, according to a report in a local publication. The sectors include tourism, which covers hotels, furnished apartments and resorts.

In addition, it also covers car rental firms, gold and jewelry shops, transport across the Kingdom’s borders, transportation of vehicles, rental of properties, sports centers and scrap yards. All firms must subscribe to the Wasel system and have postal addresses.

Khalid Maimani, a member of the human resources committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and head of human resources at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, said the government wants to have Saudis employed across the economy.

He said data-entry jobs would be attractive for many Saudis because they are “easy, flexible, suit elementary and high school graduates, and do not require prior experience.”

He said there are currently 6,000 vacant data entry jobs in both the public and private sectors, and a likelihood that it would surge to 40,000 jobs over the next five years.

The ministry earlier said there are around 9 million expatriates, at a time when unemployment in Saudi Arabia is at 11.8 percent. The ministry said that foreigners comprise 85 percent of private sector workers.

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