Minister serves burgers to get Saudis to work

Saudi Arabia's Labor Minister found a novel way of encouraging Saudis to take jobs they think are beneath them -- by working as a waiter for three hours in a fast-food restaurant, newspapers reported on Tuesday.

Saudi media carried pictures of Ghazi Algosaibi, surprising customers in a popular restaurant in the city of Jeddah by serving up hamburgers.

"The beginning will always be tiring and difficult, but young people can realize their ambitions if they are persistent and work hard," al-Watan reported Algosaibi as saying before kissing a Saudi worker on the head in appreciation.

Algosaibi, a poet and former ambassador to London, has fought a battle against business and religious interests to attract more Saudis, including women, into employment.

Around a third of Saudi Arabia's population of some 25 million is foreigners. The government is trying to diversify the economy away from reliance on oil receipts.

Many Saudis including graduates hope for work in the government and shun many menial jobs done by the large expatriate labor force.

据沙特周二的报纸报道，为鼓励沙特人从事他们认为“低贱”的职业，沙特劳工部部长想出了一个奇特的方式：在快餐店做三个小时的服务生。

沙特媒体刊登了一幅劳工部长加齐•阿尔高赛比的照片，照片中的他在吉达市一家知名餐馆为客人送上汉堡，令客人们大吃一惊。

据当地报纸《祖国报》（la-Watan）援引阿尔高赛比的话说，“刚开始总是很累、很难，但如果年轻人能坚持并努力工作，他们一定能实现自己的抱负。”说完这番话，他还亲吻了一名沙特工作人员的额头以表示感谢。

阿尔高赛比是一名诗人，也曾是沙特前驻英大使。他鼓励包括妇女在内的更多沙特人从事和商业及宗教相关的工作。

沙特共有约250万人口，约有1/3是外国人。沙特政府正在努力发展多样化经济，而不仅仅依赖于石油收入。

包括大学毕业生在内，很多沙特人希望能在政府机构工作，而不愿从事服务性行业，而这一行业主要由大批在沙特务工的外国人从事。