MLSD carries out 7,868 inspection rounds on car rental shops within 28 days, uncovering compliance of 7,112 establishments

The Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MLSD) has conducted 7,868 inspection rounds on car rental shops across various regions of the Kingdom since March 18 to make sure employers comply with the decision aiming to nationalize the car rental sector. In cooperation with the Public Transport Authority, the inspection rounds have uncovered 7,112 law-abiding establishments until April 14 compared to 283 uncompliant ones. During the crackdown, a total of 473 establishments have been closed down as the labor inspectors have warned 265 ones if they continue to ignore the decision, as well as detecting 413 violations. The decision to nationalize the car rental sector aims to raise Saudi participation in the workforce through providing quality solutions that enhance productive and sustainable nationalization. The occupations which are under the nationalization decision would include accounting, supervision, sales, delivery and shipping. Meanwhile, the ministry and its affiliated entities have supported the move in so many fields through offering in-demand training, rehabilitation and e-training programs that prepare the youth in certain sectors via the ‘Doroob’ platform, in addition to providing technical support and incentives for independent business owners. Additionally, they are being keen to conduct career fairs that meet the needs of employers and job seekers through utilizing the national labor gateway (NLG), offering inspection support and monitoring the nationalization decisions in cooperation with the nationalization committees for implementing the ‘target nationalization’ program. According to the labor regulations, the labor inspectors can impose monetary fines on those who do not comply with the decision, which can be increased by the number of foreign workers as repeating same violation results in doubling fines. The Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) has provided free seven training courses for those who want to work in the car rental sector via the ‘Doroob’ platform (www.doroob.sa/ar/individuals/tawteen). Furthermore, these opportunities include customer service principles, professional car rental customer agent, understanding customer needs, effective communication skills, customer data management, handling difficult situations and effective purchasing management. The HRDF calls upon car rental owners to utilize the newly-unveiled Enterprise Growth Program for Supporting Nationalization and benefit from its incentives through visiting its website (hrdf.org.sa/program/463). The program supports male and female workers who are employed after 31st July 2017 for a period of two years as the HRDF currently supports 15 and 20 percent of the monthly wage for the male worker and the female worker, respectively. MLSD calls upon customers to report labor market violations or submit inquiries through contacting the contact center No. (19911) or using the ‘Ma3an lil Rasd’ on smart phones.