About 8,000 Saudi men and women have been employed in the remote customer service in the Kingdom’s private sector, according to Saad Al-Hammad, spokesman of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD). The ministry’s decision to restrict remote customer service professions to Saudis came into force on Aug. 1. The ministry said that this decision, which applies to all establishments operating in the labor market, whether through direct or indirect contracting, aims to provide 20,000 jobs for Saudis by the end of 2022. Speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette, Al-Hammad said that the decision came within a series of decisions issued by the ministry to implement Saudization in several sectors. “This decision is the beginning of several upcoming decisions aimed at framing the outsourcing of businesses outside the Kingdom. Through this, the ministry aims to contribute to limiting job migration and thus supporting the national economy and the gross domestic product (GDP),” he said . He noted that this contributes to increasing job opportunities for the sons and daughters of the country, as well as to protect citizens’ data and information and raise the quality of services provided to them. According to Al-Hammad, the remote customer service Saudization decision applies to all establishments in the Kingdom, whether the firm contracted directly with the employee for remote work or indirectly by contracting with another party such as call centers. The decision covers Saudization of all professions and jobs that are offered at remote customer service call centers, whether by phone, e-mail, chat, social media, direct interaction or other means. This decision aims to create more job opportunities for Saudis and help them improve their income level, besides contributing to supporting the Saudi economy and gross domestic product (GDP), in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. “The decision to implement Saudization of this vital sector was taken as a result of the outcome of deliberations, meetings and workshops that helped us to come out in the best way to reach the final decision, he said. He pointed out that this was done in cooperation with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and government agencies such as the Communications and Information Technology Commission, the National Cybersecurity Authority and the Local Content & Government Procurement Authority, as well as many private sector companies. The ministry concluded an agreement with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Human Resources Development Fund (HADAF) and the Communications and Information Technology Commission with regard to Saudize jobs in the communications and information technology sector. The agreement aims to enable young Saudi men and women working in customer service professions to obtain decent and better job opportunities as well as creating an appropriate and stimulating work environment for them in the private sector, apart from improving the quality of the customer experience in the Kingdom.