With oil prices on a massive downward path, the company continues to cull expats, the future looks bleak. A taste of things to come:
Repat payments…gone
EAP…gone
SAIP…record low
E or M rating and July increment 0-1% if you’re lucky.
Utility bills on the meter, prepare to be fleeced.
Short term contracts introduced, sign or be fired.
Expats fees increases, as they have for years now.
Gas up another 15%
More Discrimination
More Racism
More croniesm
More layoffs
Same as it ever was . . .
Let the Hunger Games Begin.
Sad thing is, many expats will comply for fear of job loss, and turn on their own. It’s easily seen today. The higher quality expat talent already left, on their own accord leaving behind those who are not market competitive or who are without mobility options.
Employee Question:
“Will the layoffs that we experienced in 2024 be repeated?”
Company Answer:
“You can bet on it, as we’ll be glad to beat on you again in 2025!”
Employee Response:
“Remember the Alamo.”
Prospect for March 2025? Bliss, Happiness, Prosperity and a return to the U.S.A. laughing all the way, on a business class flight with a home that was paid off years ago, no debt and an eye watering sum of cash thanks to the RIP and U.S. Employee Savings Plan. Loving Life! Easiest job I ever had. Thanks Aramco!
Ha. I know of two Americans who raised labor disputes in the Saudi courts for violations of contract and Saudi labour law. Compete cut and dry cases. Both were exited from the company and paid to be quiet.
The company can’t even lay people off properly, so many horror stories. You’d think it would be in their interests to make a good job of departing employees…
I've heard from good source in HR that by June, expats will face cuts to MBS in the region on 20%, EAP will be averaged to international schools for Saudi (Indian schools will be taken into consideration), so expect a big drop if your kids are going to brit schools. Rental Assistance also to be averaged out.
Previous comments are not accurate.
Many of those who have been laid off are clearly unhappy. The way HR does the exit process is not appropriate and actually violate KSA labor law, resulting in some ongoing lawsuits.
Those who remain are anxious and rapidly losing their trust on the company and its management. You’ll start seeing resignations, more coming towards the summer. It’s not easy to resign when you also have to uproot your family.
The way the company is handling layoffs and the compensation/benefit cuts is unprofessional and very embarrassing.
If people do not like the Company, they could leave. The real reason that they don’t leave is due to a severe lack of job skills.
There will be more layoffs, but they will come at the expense of US Expats due to the heavy labor burden (mainly benefit costs). It is nobody’s fault. Outsourcing the workforce to lower-cost labor pools has always been a wise business decision. Rest assured that the Company is fairly compensating the affected personnel. Have you noticed that none of the laid off persons are on this site complaining?
Drill baby! Drill!