Information technology systems and departments in government agencies play a vital role in preserving confidential information. They are the bank where very detailed information on the public workforce and public affairs is stored. A technical glitch in IT systems can paralyze the overall performance of all government agencies. This is why these receptacles of information and data must be developed and run by a qualified workforce around the clock.

The major problem, however, is the absence of Saudization. In other words, these IT systems are not run or serviced by Saudis even though there are many qualified Saudis to fill these positions. The majority of technicians in charge of the systems are non-Saudis. They are either Arabs or Asians. Maintenance and programming are particularly carried out by expatriates. We find that many public agencies sign service contracts for their IT systems with Saudi companies who have only non-Saudi technicians.
The absence of Saudi technicians can be attributed to several factors, the most important of which is, of course, the absence of true intentions on the part of these agencies to employ Saudis and the lack of lucrative job offers and incentives.

Higher authorities should step forward and deal with this problem swiftly. It does not make any sense to give such vital IT positions to expatriates while we have highly-qualified male and female Saudis who need an opportunity to prove themselves.