Hundreds of medical staff, academics and other professionals in Saudi Arabia’s southern region bordering Yemen have in recent weeks been told they are being let go.
The exact number of of terminations is not known but Staff said they were not provided justification for government orders to stop renewing contracts of Yemenis.
There has been no official explanation and Saudi and Yemeni authorities did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Yemeni sources who spoke to Newsmen said they did not know why the dismissals were happening and were unwilling to advance any theories.
A Yemeni government source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to political sensitivities, said the directives could affect “tens of thousands” of Yemenis, including labourers. The source did not know why the orders were issued.
But A Saudi analyst, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the move aims to free up jobs for citizens in the south as part of efforts to tackle Saudi unemployment of 11.7%, and was also driven by security considerations in areas near the war, in which a Saudi-led coalition is fighting Yemen’s Houthi group.
A document from the Saudi Health Ministry dated July 27 and addressed to a hospital in Al Baha in the southwest, an image of which was seen by Reuters, only referenced instructions to “stop issuing new contracts or renew existing contracts for Yemenis”.
Saudi Arabia hosts 2 million Yemeni workers, according to the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies. It is unclear how many are in the south.
Most send money home where prospects are bleak due to the war. The World Bank estimates one in 10 people in Yemen rely on money transfers for basic needs.
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