Introduction
In any business environment, the employees are the most talented people. Therefore, companies are supposed to ensure they have a thorough recruitment process to ensure they select the best and the most skilled workforce. The term refers to the process of selecting, attracting, and appointing the appropriate candidates to a certain job in an organization (Hancock, 2002). The jobs can either be temporary or permanent. Different countries have different business strategies for recruiting. Thus, the goal of this paper is to discuss the factors that should be considered when recruiting in Saudi Arabia. The essay will end with a persuasive summary that explains why the discussed factors are important. A PowerPoint presentation will also be presented.
Recruiting in Saudi Arabia
Cultural diversity is evident in Saudi Arabia, and that can be noticed in the recruitment process. Saudi Arabia is a country that hires a different workforce that is distinct from other parts of the world. In Saudi Arabia, the leading recruiting agency is Aman and is responsible for recruiting workers (Ham, Shams & Madden, 2004). Since there are many people who are always looking for jobs, the purpose of the agency is to ease the pressure of the businesses searching reliable and the best staff for their industries. The agency serves the hospitality industry, education, and IT sectors.
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Factors Considered when Recruiting in Saudi Arabia
Language
The most significant factor that is taken into account when recruiting workforce in Saudi Arabia is language. The official language that is extensively used in the country is Arabic. Nevertheless, in many business organizations, English is also used because the expatriate workers account for the largest percentage of Saudi Arabia’s population. Thus, the workers should have an understanding of English. In Saudi Arabia, Language determines whether an individual qualifies for a particular position or not. Employees who are not conversant with English may experience a downfall during the recruitment process. Businesses cannot do without communication and communication breakdown may lead to massive losses.
Nationality
Nationality is another factor that is considered as far as recruitment is concerned. According to Jacob and Jolly (2012), nationality is a factor that has an effect on the hiring process. The demand for the talented workforce is high in Saudi Arabia. Since discrimination is still evident in different parts of the world such as Saudi Arabia, the nationality of the individuals looking for jobs determine whether will be hired or not. Saudi Arabia is an Islamic country, and some employees do not acknowledge cultural diversity despite that the country is filled with many expatriate workers. The Saudi government has fueled the discrimination because it has put a lot of pressure on many industries to employ more Saudi’s (Leeth, 2016). Some nations have barred their workers from working in Saudi Arabia because of the political problems in the country. Saudi Arabia is situated in the Middle East. Therefore, the region is widely known for its political instability, and Saudi Arabia has been having regular conflicts with different countries in the area (Cordesman and Corobaid, 2005). Many Saudi Arabia employers target 80% of the national workers in their businesses (Jacob & Jolly, 2012). However, in the current world, this may be seen as an unfortunate event.
Technological Skill
The world is rapidly changing, and thus, many organizations are using technology extensively (Scarbrough & Corbett, 2013). Due to this, many businesses require candidates to have technological skills. Therefore, employees who do not have technical expertise may not qualify for a particular job position in Saudi Arabia. Technological skills improve innovation in a particular company (Ali, 2009). To meet the needs and the demand of customers, all organizations should be at par with the current technology because technology determines the success or the failure of an organization.
Culture
Culture is the last aspect that is considered in the recruitment process in Saudi Arabia. Every nation has its culture, and that determines how the recruitment process is carried out. Culture refers to the people’s way of life. Many employees select their staff depending on the culture of the country. Saudi Arabia, being the Arabic nation, is majorly composed of the Muslim culture. Thus, the country’s culture will have an impact on the employees from different parts of the nation (Roberts, 2005). Culture also determines the code of conduct among the workers in a particular country (Tripp, 2003). That is, it defines what the employees of the different genders are supposed to do and what they are not supposed to. For instance, in some organizations, female workers are not expected to use the washrooms that are within the organization. Thus, individuals who are not accustomed to the culture may find it hard to cope in such a country. The issue of cultural difference may negatively affect the recruitment process in the country because some employees are unwilling to look for jobs in such a country.
Summary
Why the Factors are Important
Language: Language is an essential element of any organization because it facilitates various business activities. Language affects business in both positive and negative ways. For instance, when people do not speak the same language in a business environment, business operations are negatively affected because effective communication is not facilitated. On the other hand, if there is no language barrier, business operations are carried out effectively, and this improves communication among the supplier, employees, and the customers.
Technological skills: Technological skills are critical in any workplace. The skills also encourage creativity and innovation among the employees (O'Meara & Petzall, 2013). Workers who have basic technological skills can come up with innovative ideas that can help a business to go and expand.
Culture: According to Onea (2013), culture can be a barrier to an organization. Employees working in countries that have strict cultural practices may not maintain their loyalty to the organizations. Before individuals consider operating in a foreign nation, they should be research on the various cultural practices of the particular country and how they may affect their lives. Overall, countries with strict cultures tend to have high turn-over rates in organizations.
Nationality: Nationalization is important because it safeguards the interests of the workers in an organization. Nationalization holds better relations between the management and labor (Srivastav, 2016). Nationalization may also lessen the employment gaps in native nations. Thus, this aspect solves the issue of unemployment among the natives. However, nationalization may also have an adverse impact on companies because expatriate workers may be possessing unique skills that many natives do not have. Due to nationalism, many businesses may be having many low-skilled workers. Diversity ensures a balance between high and low-skilled workers.
Conclusion
In summary, each country has its recruitment strategies. Saudi Arabia uses various factors to determine its selection process. For example, factors such as culture, language, nationality, and technological skills affect the recruitment process. Countries should be aware that these factors can influence businesses either in positive or negative ways. Therefore, they should ensure that they have less strict cultures, embrace cultural diversity, and encourage the use of technological skills in all companies. With all that in mind, a positive business environment is created.
References
Ali, A. (2009). Business and management environment in Saudi Arabia New York: Routledge.
Cordesman, Anthony H.; Corobaid, Nawaf. (2005). National Security in Saudi Arabia: Threats, Responses, and Challenges. P. 374
Ham, A., Shams, M., & Madden, A. (2004). Saudi Arabia . Footscray, Vic., Australia: Lonely Planet Publications.
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Jacob, C., Jolly, J. (2012). Impact of Nationality on Employees' Perception towards Human Resource Management Policies: Asian Social Science , 8 (15), 31.
Leeth, J. (2016). Workforce Planning Policies Challenge HR in Saudi Arabia online SHRM. Available at: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/workforce-hr-saudi-arabia.aspx [Accessed 1 Nov. 2016].
McDowall, Angus (19 January 2014). "Saudi Arabia doubles private sector jobs in 30-month period".
O'Meara, B. & Petzall, S. (2013). The handbook of strategic recruitment and selection .
Onea, A. N. (2013). Levels of culture and barriers in organizational communication: The USV Annals of Economics and Public Administration , 12 (2 (16)), 123-128.
Roberts, G. (2005). Recruitment and selection London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Scarbrough, H., Corbett, J. M. (2013). Technology and Organization (RLE: Organizations): Power, Meaning and Deisgn : Routledge.
Srivastav, P. (2016). Nationalization: Advantages and Disadvantages of Nationalization.
Tripp, Harvey (2003). Culture Shock, Saudi Arabia. Singapore; Portland, Oregon: Times Media Private Limited.
