5 lakh Indians get jobs in Saudi Arabia in 16 months: Report

Around five lakh Indians have got jobs in Saudi Arabia since an agreement between the two nations was inked in January last year, taking the total number of workers from India in the Kingdom to 30 lakh, according to a report.
Indians are now the largest group of expats in the Gulf Kingdom, Arab News reported.
"The authorities in India have not received any requests from Saudi Arabia to amend recruitment agreement, including the provision which stipulates that sponsors must pay a guarantee of USD 2,500 for each worker," the paper quoted a source as saying.
The deal was signed last year to manage and organise the recruitment of domestic workers. The agreement exists only to ensure that the rights of Indian citizens who wish to work abroad are guaranteed and maintained, it said.

In response to reports that recruiting domestic workers from India costs between 18,000 and 21,000 Saudi riyals (USD 4,800 to 5,600) per worker and takes between five and eight months time to secure, the source said, "Recruitment offices are the ones responsible for pricing, not embassy officials, while costs are usually determined by market demand.