SMS to know your company's status

By JEDDAH: GALAL FAKKAR ARAB NEWS STAFF

Published: Mar 11, 2012 23:17 Updated: Mar 11, 2012 23:17

The Labor Ministry yesterday announced a new service for expatriates who want to find out about their companies' Nitaqat status.

Human resource experts said expatriates would benefit from the ministry's move. Sharief Hussein Al-Hubaili, an HR expert, said it would enable companies to know whether they are in the red, yellow, green or premium categories according to the Nitaqat system, which measures an organization's compliance with Saudization targets.

"The new service avoids the possibility of incorrect assumptions about a company's situation or having to go to the ministry or labor office," he explained.

"It will also protect foreign workers from falling victim to unscrupulous liaison officers who exploit the situation by trying to con them," he added.

Expatriates will be able to understand their companies' Nitaqat status by sending an SMS containing the characters 44* followed by the iqama number to STC No. 888996, Mobily 626666, or Zain 709446. They can also obtain the same information from the ministry's website: www.mol.gov.sa.