With their residence status corrected, a large number of Yemenis have jobs at restaurants and vegetable markets that are witnessing an unusual rush of shoppers in view of the holy month of Ramadan.
The new rules specifically allow Yemenis to work without transferring their sponsorship. At the same time, several restaurant owners prefer Yemenis because of low cost of their employment.
A total of 1,743 Yemenis have corrected their status since the announcement of an amnesty by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. A Yemeni expatriate can host five people, if they fulfill certain conditions, while companies are allowed to have 10 percent Yemeni staff. Their names should be registered on the Labor Ministry’s Ajeer portal.
“I did not complete the procedure of correcting my residence status. I want to work during Ramadan as there are lots of vacancies in restaurants and stores,” Ziad Abu Jandal, an illegal Yemeni living in Jeddah told Arab News
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Awd Saleh, a Yemeni resident living Jeddah told Arab News, said: “I started working in a cafe after correcting my residence status just before Ramadan. All restaurants and stores are looking for workers to serve the high number of customers. The positive side of Ramadan is a higher demand for goods and services and higher consumption.”
Abu Ali, owner of a cafe and restaurant, said: “Jeddah downtown provides thousands of job opportunities in restaurants and shops. But these places have been preferred by Yemenis for working. Moreover, owner of these shops and restaurants prefer to hire Yemenis for the low cost of employment.”
“I think Yemeni expatriates will occupy a big number of small jobs in restaurants and shops in Ramadan, while this community will take place of others nationalities who were working at this field,” Mustapha Mamea, an economic expert, told Arab News.
“Owners of restaurants and shops need only temporary workers to cover the high turnout of customers in Ramadan as it is convenient to hire Yemenis. They do need to transfer their sponsorship,” he added.
By Ibrahim Naffee
