The thawing of three decades of frosty relations with Riyadh has lifted the hopes of job seekers and labour exporters eager to get back in the oil-rich kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
But before they pack their bags, one question begs an answer: “Is Saudi Arabia still a gold mine of labour opportunities as it once was?”
“Not really,” said Sarawut Aree, director of the Muslim Studies Center at Chulalongkorn University. ”Saudi Arabia is no longer ideal for unskilled workers ‘digging for gold’ ”.
The phrase was popularised by Thai workers, particularly those native to the Northeast, who travelled in droves to the Middle Eastern country 30 years ago, drawn by its vast workforce, steeped in…
