Yemenization of Workforce

During his electoral campaign in 2006, President Saleh announced yemenization of jobs in oil and gas companies working in Yemen. He also pointed out that the targeted percentage is 90 percent as it was part of his electoral platform.

Early September 2006, Saleh – while in Sayun, pointed out that he directed the government to work on yemenizing the workforce in all oil companies working in Mareb, Shabwa and Hadramout. He also emphasized that foreign employees should be replaced by Yemenis and foreigners should be available only as experts.

Upon his induction to Oil Ministry, Minister Khalid Bahah noted that yemenization of workforce is among his key policies, asserting they seek to make 90 percent of workforce Yemeni.

Bahah added that Yemenization of workforce mounted to 79 percent in February 2007, stressing that his ministry has spared no efforts to achieve the targeted percentage by the end of the same year.

Yemenization Director at Oil Ministry was clearer about this plan and asked oil companies to provide transparent plans on how to reach the targeted percentage, assuring the percentage of Yemeni workforce has exceeded 79 percent.

Meanwhile, Oil Ministry issued a report on yemenization early in October and indicated that the percentage reached 82 percent. The next report is due to be issued by March and by then the percentage should be up to 90 percent.

Still, there is too much contradiction in the statements of officials and it seems they are not built on factual numbers. For example, the yemenization process in the Yemeni Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) has reached 23 percent as still over 3,000 foreign employees are working for the company.

The company also shows that it trains over 400 employees, noting that Mareb's percentage is 26 percent, 35 percent for Shabwa, 25 percent for Hadramout, 33 percent for Taiz.

In return, Mareb and Shabwa sons, (where most oil companies are located) complain the company has not contained jobless youth. Recently some youth have tried to prevent the company from implementing its projects. Statistics show that over 100 drivers work for Total Company; however, most of them are Ethiopian or of interracial background at Almas Company owned by President Saleh's son.  A Yemeni employee at LNG who declined to be named asserted that some foreigners are assuming posts that several Yemenis can assume, and observed that the foreigners are given better salaries than their Yemeni counterparts though they assume the same post.

Sources at Mareb and Shabwa local councils hinted the statistics and figures shown by the company are not accurate and further the recruiting process is made according to the mood of these companies' administrators, emphasizing that a lot of qualified people are not recruited.

Deputy Oil Minister and Deputy Labor Minister together with Mareb Governor discussed the situation in Mareb especially following the threat raised by Jobless Youth Association that demanded the company to contain and train more youth from Mareb and Shabwa.

Observers believe that Oil Ministry has not paid much attention to Yemenization Project while it keeps on issuing inaccurate reports. Still, the incentives given to foreign workers and employees are far more than those granted to their Yemeni peers.

In press statements, Deputy Social Affairs and Labor Minister assured that yemenization has not reached so far 42 percent in all oil companies and stressed the process is faced by many technical challenges including training and qualifying citizens.

He added that most companies working in Yemen are investment companies and authorities cannot force them to hire untrained and unqualified employees.

The same problems arises for Yemenis when it comes to workforce exported to Gulf countries from Asia. Yemeni workers in the Gulf are rivaled with trained workforce coming from South Asia and India.

Unemployment rates are on rise among young youth and university graduates and experts hold that the current educational policy is not fit, and the matter is in need for redesigning the curriculum and introducing new specializations that can come out with people who meet the requirements of labor market.

They also stress that state should dispense with specializations that add to unemployment rates, maintaining that authorities should demand oil companies working across the country to train Yemenis in order to assume leading positions and in rare specializations.