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Recruitment and Selection Assignment/Case Study Solution.

This section of the study aims to provide a basic framework for understanding the background of the research, providing an overview of the basic concepts which have been focused on in this research. The study intends to investigate about the effectiveness of recruitment and selection methods in public sector, within the specific region of Saudi Arabia. The chapter also aims to elaborate on the significance of the study for scholars as well as professional entities that are likely to gain insight into the degree of effectiveness of recruitment and selection instruments. Along with that, research objectives and research questions have also been incorporated in this section of the dissertation. Lastly, the delimitations of the study have been discussed.

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Chapter 1- Introduction

This section of the study aims to provide a basic framework for understanding the background of the research, providing an overview of the basic concepts which have been focused on in this research. The study intends to investigate about the effectiveness of recruitment and selection methods in public sector, within the specific region of Saudi Arabia. The chapter also aims to elaborate on the significance of the study for scholars as well as professional entities that are likely to gain insight into the degree of effectiveness of recruitment and selection instruments. Along with that, research objectives and research questions have also been incorporated in this section of the dissertation. Lastly, the delimitations of the study have been discussed.

This research study will investigate the effectiveness of Recruitment and Selection (R&S) practices in public sector and Communication & Information Technology Commission (CITC) will be studied as a case study for recruitment procedures. The study will also present the best alternatives to the present strategies and practices of public sector recruitment in Saudi Arabia (rewrite the sentence).

Background

Human Resource Management (HRM) division has several functions in an organization, the primary ones are Recruitment and Selection (R&S), Training and Development (T&D), Compensation and Benefits, and Succession planning. Various scholars have focused on the phenomenon of recruitment and selection, considering it to be an important element of managing the operations of a business entity (Hodgkinson & Payne, 1998; Tayeb, 2005; Taylor, 2006; Carless, 2007). The most important task for HR managers is to induct new employees and train them as per organizational requirements. Guest, Michie, Conway and Sheehan (2003) have asserted the importance of creating an alignment between recruitment, selection and job design as it has a strong impact on the operations of the firm. In addition to this, the researchers have also considered the HR practices in the domain of recruitment and selection to have significant implications for the profitability of the business entity.

Recruitment and selection of employees assumes the most important aspect of HR function as this procedure is responsible for delivering requisite talent to respective departments. Saudi Arabia is a developing country and relies on income from oil and oil based products. However, as the reserves are depleting fast, the government of Saudi Arabia has outlined reform policies for public sector re-organization and broadened its role in infrastructural development of the country. The public sector companies in Saudi Arabia have been practicing constricted recruitment policies as the data represents that recruitment is majorly done from foreign countries with little emphasis on local work force (Can’t mention results in the introduction section). The future role of public sector firms will be dependent upon how effectively they recruit people from local as well as foreign labor markets. The traditional recruitment and selection methods were more dependent on communicating about the vacancy though print media, such as newspapers and magazines (Harris, Brewster & Sparrow, 2004). Lately, some changes have been observed in recruitment practices of public sector firms of Saudi Arabia. In order to investigate these changes along with observing the present condition of recruitment and selection practices, this study is aimed at exploring the micro and macro practices which public sector firms carry out while managing the recruitment and selection of new employees.

Communication and Information Technology Commission (CITC) has been selected as the reference case for investigating the recruitment and selection practices of public sector firms as this will provide an in depth understanding of recruitment culture and practice in one of the large public sector firms of Saudi Arabia.

Overview of Methods of Recruitment and Selection

Some of the commonly used methods for recruiting the candidates can be identified as the use of advertising in print media, recruitment agencies, job fairs, and referrals. The changes in technology has altered the means of reaching the pool of candidates in the labor market by incorporation of tools such as e-recruitment, job portals and use of company website to display the available positions (Armstrong, 2009).

The use of advertising through print media has been one of the traditional means of reaching the target labor market, which is also widely used in contemporary organizations all across the world. Another tool used for recruiting the candidates is the use of referrals, which is deemed to carry the strength of providing access to the suitable potential candidates (Breaugh, 2008); therefore various organizations tend to rely on it for recruitment of employees for key posts. However, the technological development has introduced more refined and fast paced methods of pin pointing the suitable candidates for a position. As observed by Singh and Finn (2003) the advent of internet has facilitate the use of electronic sources of recruitment such as job portals, company website etc.

In case of selecting the employees for a particular vacancy, the management can utilize the simple analysis tools such as aptitude test or performance test. On a more intricate level, psychological testing can be incorporated in the selection phase to identify the presence of required personality traits (Armstrong, 2009).

Recruitment and Selection in the Global Context

The differences in recruitment and selection practices is evident across different countries and similarly, across different cultures. Shen & Edwards (2004) reported that R&S practices of Chinese Multi National Enterprises (MNEs) are different from domestic Chinese firms whereas there is significant difference in hiring practices of Chinese MNEs as compared to western MNEs. An empirical research on 579 firms of U.K. reveal that smaller proportion of firms are engaged in formal recruitment practices through assessment centers, whereby most of the organizations have informal structures of selecting candidates (Zibarras & Woods, 2010). In case of Egypt, line management has been delegated with increased responsibility to hire employees (El-Kot & Leat, 2008). Taiwan is also one country where line managers are influential in R&S and T&D of human resources. However, there is an overwhelming desire to increase the role of HR in strategic management in Taiwan (Hsu & Leat, 2000). A research being conducted (use better expression here) across 20 countries for assessing selection process of employees reveals that power structure and cultures have direct influence on practices of selection (Ryan, McFarland & Shl, 1999).

Recruitment and Selection for Junior Levels of Hierarchy

The criteria for recruitment and selection are different across various countries. Bartram, Lindley, Marshall & Foster (1995) reported that companies which are small and hire fewer than 10 employees emphasize upon honesty, integrity, and personality fit of employees as compared to ability, experience or attainment. In U.K., the trend of hiring managers was focused on references and interviews (Robertson & Makin, (1986).

Statement of the problem

The public sector corporations of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) are going through rapid transformation in order to incorporate, sustain, and promote technological changes brought about through people management at organizational level. Recruitment of relevant talent needs effective policies to hunt, hire, and retain key personnel in these public sector firms as they will become engine of growth for Saudi economy in coming years. An investigation needs to be made regarding current practices of recruitment and selection, advantages and limitations of these practices, and identifying best practices in order to incorporate them in recruitment process of public sector companies.

Research objectives

The key aims and objectives of your research are to:

 

 

To pinpoint the recruitment methods from the perspective of employers and their eventual employees

 

To investigate the advantages and disadvantages of the methods of recruitment used in the public sector of Saudi Arabia.

 

To find out which recruitments methods are most successful in hiring the most appropriate candidates in the public sectors.

Research questions

The study intends to answer the following key questions:

What are the recruitment methods from the perspective of employers and their eventual employees in Public sector companies of Saudi Arabia?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the methods of recruitment used in the public sector of Saudi Arabia?

Which recruitments methods are most successful in hiring the most appropriate candidates in the public sectors?

Significance of the study

The Saudi government has initiated number of public sector projects which include information and technology infrastructure development, roads and bridge development, establishment of new cities, and increase in hiring of local labor as compared to foreigners. This will require public sector Corporations to engage in recruitment and selection procedures on a wide scale. In order to make the process of recruitment effective, it needs to be free of bias and favoritism. This study will further highlight the recruitment procedure of CITC which is delegated with introducing structural changes in information and communications technology of Saudi Arabia. Following points also highlight as to what value this research study can add to the existing literature.

• The study can be of value for the scholars who intend to gain an understanding of the recruitment and selection practices in public sector in Saudi Arabia.
• The area of recruitment and selection practices in public sector within the context of Saudi Arabia has been relatively unexplored. This study can add value to the existing literature by enhancing the understanding of the scholars and professionals about the effectiveness of the recruitment and selection practices.
• The study will also provide reasonable evidence in order to gain knowledge about the public sector recruitment at large, and further research on private sector recruitment practice can be followed to compare both the systems with respect to their management of recruitment and selection procedures.
• The study also has significance for the management and HR personnel as they can determine the perspective of employees about the effectiveness of recruitment and selection methods.
• The HR department in public sector organizations in Saudi Arabia can use the findings of the study to align the mode of selection of candidates with their recruitment needs.
• The study intends to provide an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of various recruitment and selection methods. This information can be used by the managers and HR officials to select a method that offers significant benefit for the hiring process, while its limitations create no serious implications for the organization at the same time.
• This study will highlight the advantages and disadvantages of existing practices, which in turn will provide a road map for public sector organizations to eliminate the practices which have been observed to be ineffective and promote the ones which yield optimal outcomes.
• Furthermore, being aware of the disadvantages can also allow the management to be better prepared to handle the shortcomings embedded in the chosen recruitment method.

Delimitations of the Study

 

The research had the following delimitations:

• It is delimited to the public sector organization in Saudi Arabia
• The use of case study design has also limited the research to the data obtained from management and employees of CITC.

Chapter 2 Literature Review

 

Introduction

Recruitment and Selection (R&S) is one of the major concerns of Human Resource Management (HRM) in public as well as private sector employers. R&S has been investigated by many researchers in past decades which highlighted its necessity, efficiency, uniqueness, and exposure in various fields. There is a great deal of literature showing the types of R&S employed in public sector of different countries and the strengths and weaknesses of those policies, as every country possesses a different culture and business aspects. Hence, the effectiveness of R&S practices is evident by reviewing previous literature, and it is now considered as HRM is an important component of any firm to attain competitive advantage and become more productive. The present study is aimed at investigating the recruitment and selection (R&S) policies in the public sector of Saudi Arabia, specifically the Communication and Information Technology Commission (CITC) of KSA and explore the advantages and disadvantages of recruitment methods used by the public sector in KSA in the view of employers and employees. To set this study in context, relevant literature is reviewed in this chapter, which includes the emergence of HR practices in Saudi Arabia, HRM in the public sectors of Saudi Arabia, recruitment and selection procedures in the public sectors of Saudi Arabia. Lastly, the literature review will incorporate which recruitments methods are successful in hiring the most appropriate candidates in Saudi public sectors.

2.         Emergence of HR practices in Saudi Arabia

In the present scenario of business world, every organization seeks to survive the upcoming competition and overcome the global demands by succeeding in its processes. In such conditions, HRM is believed to have the capability to convert machines, material, methods and money into products, as opponents can replicate every resource but not human resource, since they are unique. HRM is aimed at getting profit in return of organizational investment with minimal financial risk. A few decades back, Saudi Arabia also realized the importance of human resource management as an important asset of organizations and started borrowing talent from the neighbouring countries. The interest in the policies and activities of HRM and cultural relativism of Saudi Arabia have increased due to business and trading globalization by multinational firms (Hsu & Leat, 2000). Saudi Arabia and other gulf countries have different perceptions regarding HRM. In Arab countries the HR department is mostly assigned to hire and sack employees, maintain an employee database, handle personnel documents, administer renewal of employees periodically, and many other duties in connection with regulatory responsibilities that have to be done over time. Research conducted by Mellahi (2007) highlighted that in Saudi Arabia the HRM system is affected by legal and political environmental structures. Furthermore, Weir (2003) in his research highlighted the four paradigms of HRM, beginning with U.S.A. originated HRM, which then grew in Europe and was executed in Japan, but was undeveloped, unripe, not researched and ignored in the Middle East Arab countries (Ali, 1989).

A few years ago, Saudi Arabia realized that the oil production of country would not remain forever, so the Saudi Government rushed to develop new sectors in the country, namely, the private and foreign sectors rather than only the public sector. The Labour law was introduced which gave employers powers over their employees, whether natives or foreigners, who were treated poorly by employers as well as the legal system of Saudi Arabia (Mellahi, 2007). Saudi Arabia has modified several investments, local, commercial and labor laws, and these alterations in law have increased the confidence of many international investors in Saudi markets (Ali, 2008). In the present scenario, Saudi Arabia is going through many changes within the business sector, like privatization, local and private investments, employing natives rather than foreigners, and also developing HRM, which is a challenge in such a conventional tribal society.

Saudi Arabia, as one of the richest countries of the Middle East, captures the attention of neighboring countries for employment. Ali (2008) stressed that the financial and political situations of various nations are greatly influenced by the actions and decisions of Saudi Arabia. Globalization has reached every country, whether European, Middle Eastern, or Asian and Saudi Arabia is no exception. Nowadays, the HR is growing quite fast in Saudi Arabia and has become an essential part of Saudi companies, whether they are educational sectors, telecommunication companies, agricultural industries, transportation companies, restaurants, banks, textile companies, retail marketing organizations, construction companies or insurance companies.  Saudi companies are divided into public and private sectors, but the need of HRM is vital for the growth of both sectors. The realization of the importance of HRM came from the western countries as they were growing rapidly with fewer resources and higher productivity with the help of a proper conceptual framework of organization. Saudi Arabia was a rich country with less talented natives to run companies efficiently, so for this purpose foreigners were given scope to be a part of the economy of Saudi Arabia and utilize their talents for the efficiency of organizations.

3.         HRM in Saudi Arabian Public Sectors

The public sector of Saudi Arabia includes industries of construction, retail marketing, insurance, textile, silverware, agriculture, education services, healthcare, banking, chemical manufacturing, real-estate, packaging, restaurants, communication equipment’s manufacturers, iron and steel, transportation, oil and gas, water utilities, furniture and fixtures, advertisement, hotel and motel, information technology, telecommunication and many others. Saudi Arabia is the largest exporter of petroleum worldwide, and earns almost 90% of its revenue from oil exports and approximately 45% of GDP is based upon petroleum products. Hence, initially it was Saudi Arabian oil companies that developed HRM, due to the large scale arrival of foreigners for employment, as HRM was considered as an important factor in the incline and decline of any organization (Mellahi, 2006). The emergence of HRM in Saudi Arabia was due to the influx of great numbers of foreigners in the country’s public and private sectors. In 2004, around 8.8 million foreigners were employed in Saudi Arabia, equivalent to half of Saudi population, and now the Saudi government is working on reducing this percentage to 20% of the total population of Saudi Arabia (Ministry Of Economy and Planning Report, 2011).

Mellahi and Wood (2001) suggested five factors that shaped the policies and practices of HRM in the public sectors of Saudi Arabia, namely, economic structure, political structure, labour market, national culture and national human resource development (HRD) strategy.  Saudi Arabia was greatly affected by the drop in oil prices in 1980s and the Gulf war, which froze the economy and increased unemployment. The government kept tight control on the economy and social development and monopolies of large firms dominated in Saudi Arabia, as the authority and political structure were in the hands of the King. The labour market also affected the HRM policies a great deal because the natives did not possess appropriate skills, yet the government forced companies to employ them rather than skilled foreigners. Furthermore, in Saudi Arabia kinship played a major role in selection and decision making, which had stagnated the practice of HRM. As far as national HRD was concerned, the natives were unskilled and less educated so the Saudi government invested a great deal of money to train natives and so reduce the unemployment within the country and reduce reliance on foreigners.

Various policies and practices of HRM in Saudi Arabia differ according to organizations ownership (private and public) and employees’ nationality. The HRM model in the public sector is largely concerned with the management of native employees and managers and is characterized by seniority wages, lifetime employment and social cohesiveness. The wages in the public sectors in Saudi Arabia are far higher than in the private sectors and natives are given jobs in the public sector with three times higher wages, even though they are not competent enough and does not seem to be beneficial for the public sector productivity (Al-Dosary & Rahman, 2005; Feulner, 1989). Managers in the public sector used to promote as many number of their relatives and friends as possible, as social ties took precedence over organizational efficiency. Furthermore, Al-Ajaji (1995) highlighted that new Saudi graduates in the labour market preferred to be employed in the public sector because they would have greater job security, higher wages, better working hours and get high prestige and they foresaw more opportunities to be promoted, in the public sector.

In a survey of Saudi organizations in 2001 by Robertson, Al-Khatib, Al-Habib & Lanoue (2001) it was found that youth are excluded from responsibilities of decision making and are given less authority which makes Saudi’s divergent thinkers. The reason behind this divergent thinking was claimed to be the teachings of Islamic culture, as the Saudi government used to enforce the private sectors to meet the formal obligations of HRM policies, as in the public sectors. Researchers in past decade claimed that to enhance the efficiency of HR practices, the government should pay serious attention to the implementation of HRM policies, or else HRM policies would never be able to become a productive strategy for organizations, whether public or private. Some of the private sector industries are not happy with implementation of public sector HR policies in their workplace as it has led to decrease in employment percentages as well as rise in external pressures.

Ramady (2010) states that government has spent a great deal of money on the HR practices, so now even in Saudi Arabia, the employees are chosen on the basis of their capabilities, education, experience, competencies and knowledge. However, the natives are preferred to foreigners, as the Saudi government wants to reduce the level of unemployment of natives and keep the country’s money in its own hands. In the public sectors, most jobs are open only to Saudis and foreigners get employment opportunity in the private sectors. The HR managers of Gulf States including those of Saudi Arabia are targeting the appropriate population for the job, as well as usage of their products, however the public as well as private sector in Gulf States has still got Natives have still room to incorporate best practices of recruitment and retention (Forstenlechner, 2010). Mostly, the procedures used for recruitment and selection in the public sectors are internal resources, but still the selection is based upon the competency of the candidates. In the present scenario, the most convenient way of recruitment is advertisement through the internet or newspapers and then the shortlisted candidates are called for initial interviews and screening tests. Currently, Saudi Arabia is strengthening its HR departments to stay in the competition and for this purpose the Saudi government is spreading awareness among natives that employment comes with expertise, competency and education rather than the old kinship system.

4.         Recruitment and Selection methods in Public sectors of Saudi Arabia

Looney (2004) has observed that Public corporations’ personnel are recruited according to the Employment and Employees Act, the Civil Service Act, and other laws and regulations specified by the government. Basically, companies owned by the government recruit their staff by means of the open market in line with the policies and procedures of the company. In general, public enterprises do not find any difficulty in recruitment of trained and educated personnel, either from the open market or public services. In Saudi Arabia, institutions that provide the market with qualified candidates are the Institute of Public Administration, different universities and the Technical and Professional Training Institute. At times, personnel already employed in private firms apply for jobs in the public sector because of the facilities available for public sector employees.

Recently, the trend has again changed in Saudi Arabia as the public sectors are giving more opportunities to skilled natives and giving them higher salaries, residence, higher posts and more chances to get promotion in lesser time as compared to foreigners. Human resource management in private and public sectors of Saudi Arabia are bound to employ natives in their organizations, so that the unemployment rate of natives, which increased in the past decade; would gradually decrease. Furthermore, it has also been empirically shown that Saudi Arabia is investing a lot in human resource management to achieve the development goal of raising the skill level of natives and replacing foreigners with skilled and well-educated Saudis (Mellahi, 2007). Hence, HR practices in Saudi Arabia are focusing more on giving employment to natives and the HR managers of private sectors are complaining about the interference of government on their organizational practices. This fact was highlighted in Wilson’s (2004) work reporting that the Saudi Arabian government was introducing strategies to cut the number of foreigners in the private sectors and replace them with Saudi population.

In the early 1920s and 30s, a great deal of infrastructural development took place in Saudi Arabia, and for that purpose foreign workers were welcomed into the country, which increased the unemployment of natives (Huyette, 1985). To remedy this, the Saudization process was started in Saudi Arabia, which was aimed to replace foreign labour, through proper planning, with qualified and skilled locals. This policy of Saudization, implemented to favour domestic labour, had three purposes: to increase employment in all sectors of Saudi Arabia, to keep money in the country rather than remit it and to invest the money within the country to enhance local development (Al-Harbi, 1997; Looney, 2004; Al-Dosary & Rahman, 2005). The government played a role of employer throughout the nation (Harry, 2007). To reduce the unemployment and the Saudi population, the Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF) was established in 2000. The purpose of HRDF to prepare, train and employ national workers in the public as well as private sectors and also to improve the administrative structure of organizations to enable them to progress (HRDF, n.d.).

Looney (2004) observed that within the public sector of Saudi Arabia, internal recruitment and selection was dominant for many years which have lately become unsustainable. Even in the present scenario, the main sources of recruitment implemented in the public sectors of Saudi Arabia are references, promotions, and transfer of existing employees to another part of company. It is less common for external recruitment methods to be employed, as the culture of Saudi Arabia is based on the kinship system, so every person in public sector tries his best to recommend his relatives for public sector positions. Although, advertisement and seeking help from employment agencies also take place natives with less expertise and minimal education are preferred over foreigners with high levels of education and skills for open posts. Such methods of recruitment and selection are reducing the percentage of unemployment in Saudi Arabia, but unfortunately Saudi Arabia is not raising competent candidates to run the management of companies. The employers prefer to employ, recruit and select their relatives to lessen the risk of downfall and strengthen their positions (Looney, 2004).

As far as employees are concerned, those who have their relatives or friends in the public sector does not seem to have any problem with the HR practices of the public sectors because they have a good chance of being selected in the organization on the basis of kinship. However, those candidates who do not have such connections miss many opportunities or are unable to approach the recruiters, which cause the natives, foreigners as well as the organization to suffer a great deal. The government of Saudi Arabia has spent a great deal of expenditure on training the upcoming youth, but it lacks the ability to use the human resource management appropriately. According to employers and employees, transparency and equality in recruitment of candidates leads to unbiased selection of employees that is based on the competency of the candidates. The public sector organization, specifically those who are engaged in knowledge management have started using the balanced scorecard as government is shifting its governance to e-governance system (Salwa, 2010).

5.         Recruitment and selection practices in Telecommunication sector of Saudi Arabia

The telecommunication sector of Saudi Arabia is the most exciting industry as the current Saudi Telecom Company has become fast-growing, vibrant and intensely viable with the three major telecom operators namely Etihad Etisalat, Saudi Telecom Company (STC) and Zain battling for profits, and subscribers. According to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Saudi Arabia is predicted to spend over 50% of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in GCC in the coming years (Global Arab Network, 2010). The telecom sector began to develop in 2005 and help the economy to a great extent as it enabled economic growth as well as attracted foreign investors. The telecommunication companies of Saudi Arabia seemed to have six commitments with their users that played a key role in growth: targeting the youth as consumers, internet and broadband rush, attractive and smart device, innovative applications and telecom services, offering financial services and the need for classy ICT services. The development of telecom companies has opened new opportunities for economic growth, employment, modernization, and a competitive environment. The Saudi government has started to adopt e-governance to reduce the bias in public sector employment (Altamem, 2007). Companies consulted in this way include King Fahd Recruitment National Centre, BAG, CITC, Technical and Vocational Training (TVT), Transformation Consulting International (TCI), Arabian Society for HR Management (ASHRM), and many others.

In recent years, the Saudi recruitment and selection practices in telecommunication companies have become an interesting field of research as the telecommunication industry is growing rapidly and is innovative in its revolutionary technology. Now, the information technology and communication industries are employing innovative technologies for the selection of skilled people, as in this modern period online advertisement of jobs has become a common way of finding the appropriate person for the job. Among the public sector organizations of Saudi Arabia, recruiting competent persons requires a great deal of knowledge regarding the market of Saudi Arabia, especially in the areas of cultural influences, trends of shopping, needs of consumers, changes in season as well as demographic issues in the context of human resource (Kleynhans, 2006). For example, when personnel for retail companies are required, HRM needs to stay up to date about the planning and recruitment strategies as trends in Saudi Arabia keep on changing (Walsh, 2009).

Many recruitment methods are being used by the telecommunication companies of Saudi Arabia, like newspaper advertisement, e-recruitment method, job fairs and referencing. E-recruitment is the most common recruitment method now, as there are millions of websites that offer free and paid advertisement of jobs. By means of online advertisement telecommunication companies are able to recruit as many skilled candidates as possible. By means of the internet, telecommunication companies can get an online profile of other companies’ employees and get a good opportunity to find out their professional profile and approach them (Al-Ghamdi, 2010), though this approach has been adopted due to the presence of private companies such as Mobily. . Mostly, the job descriptions in the Saudi public sector include job title, the requirement of Saudi nationality, academic degree relevant to job, pay package, nature of post, required experience, number of vacancies, and responsibilities of the job holder. Candidates who apply for the job and match the criteria of job are short listed by the HR managers and their team members to further examine the capabilities of the candidates.

Initially, the selection of employees was unbiased in Saudi companies, including the telecommunication companies, but Van den Bossche, Segers and Jansen (2010) argue that numerous practitioners of HR have tried to develop appropriate proceses of selection where every employee has an equal chance of getting jobs on the basis of his capabilities. Saaty and Qureshi (2012) in their research work proved that recruitment methods like advertisement, job fairs, professional consultation, as well as selection methods like interviewing, use of psychometric tests, and group discussions, are being fairly practised in the companies of Saudi Arabia. In telecommunication companies the employees are mainly tested on their communication and problem-solving skills, and for this purpose those candidates are given preference that possess good communication skills because it is important in customer satisfaction. Varoudakisa & Maria (2004)  reveal that though competition is low but size of telecommunication sector in Saudi Arabia is significant. OEDC Global Conference on Telecommunication Policy highlighted the telecommunication demand, private sector participation, corporatization and privatization of Saudi Telecom Company and sector regulation and liberalization as the four levers for restructuring Saudi telecommunications.  The key success factors of the telecommunication company were heavily dependent on the capabilities of human resource management of the organization, which included the selection of appropriate and competent workers who can provide quality services to the consumers. Selection in telecommunication companies is made on the basis of the communication skills of candidate on the phone as well as face to face. Candidates who can defend their product and resolve the problems of the client are the most productive employees for the telecommunication companies. So, in Saudi Arabia the HR managers of the telecom company or hired from professional companies’ judge the candidates according to job description and the potential of the candidate for professional development.

The recruitment and selection process in the public sectors of Saudi Arabia still lacks HR planning in the light of pure assessment and analysis requirements. The selection of employees is most of the time based on personal favouritism and nepotism, which reflect the low professionalism and competency of recruiters. Policies of the public sector for the recruitment and selection process are biased and favouritism and lack of transparency in the selection process degrade the quality of employment, which is the worst mistake in a long run. Kawach (2011) claimed that various government offices of Saudi Arabia are suffering from bribery and corruption as well as lack competent employees to run the organization efficiently.

On the other hand, the changes coming up in the Saudi policies are giving more opportunities to modern HRM practices in almost every organization, though this is mostly limited to recruitment and selection procedure along with payroll and compensation management. The previous stagnant role of HR in Saudi Arabia is giving way to a most productive and creative area of industry which is important in the success and loss of organizations. At first, the Saudi telecom company was undeveloped but in the last 15 years it has grown rapidly as it has a proper framework of its consumers, their needs, better tariff plans, choice of devices, competent employees and how to achieve greater profit. The telecommunication companies are using modern ways to recruit and select candidates as well as screening candidates on modern criteria, which is financially and intellectually modernizing the Saudi Arabia and leading it towards the top position, in fact private sector is taking the lead as they have more dynamic HR to further the modern practices of recruitment, selection, training, and development Alzalabani (2002) of their staff as compared to the public sector, nevertheless CITC remains a benchmark for modern practices of R&S and T&D in Saudi Arabia.

 

 

Change of trend in Recruitment in Public sector

Bach (2002) contends that recruitment and retention issues are growing for the U.K. government as well who have faced criticism due to failed policies in HRM. The public sector is considered to be in a crisis and many governments for instance that of KSA, has started encouraging private sector to enhance employment opportunities. Mellahi (2007) explained how the Saudi government, since 2000s, has systematically influenced to shape the HRM practices of private sector, aligning the public and public sector employment practices. Chadwick & May (2003) have mentioned e-government initiative to be responsible for enhanced employment in countries such as in Europe as well as Saudi Arabia. There is a shift in public sector recruitment practice which has started to incorporate more online sources with the increase in technological advancement. Reesa & Althakhrib (2008) have also mentioned the influence of western management practices in managing the human resource in Arab countries. Rees, Mamman & Braik (2007) stated that UAE petroleum used modern techniques of HRM which are being replicated by CITC in Saudi Arabia.

The culture is described as an important factor in deciding upon the recruitment methods being used by the organizations in Saudi Arabia. The public sector employers, most of them being from the ministries of KSA, are reluctant to adapt to the changes in technology and its use, therefore the government has initiated the use of e-governance to mitigate the impact of intermediaries in recruitment as well as selection of candidates (Chadwick & May, 2003).

Appropriate recruitment methods for Public sector in Saudi Arabia

Al Dosary (2004) observed that nationalization mechanism regarding the labour force in Saudi Arabia has got started and government is paying close attention to introduce enhanced employment opportunities along with imparting skill development education. The recruitment methods in Saudi Arabia have got changed by the introduction of best practices in private sector, though the employers in private sector largely remain biased towards the local work force due to the stereotypical notions regarding the local work force. The foreign recruitment agencies play an important role in providing human resource to the public sector which allows these firms to handle the initial recruitment procedure. Conferences for recruiting people from abroad are also held and doctors form the major population which belongs to other countries. However, as the country grows, Saudi R&S practices will be more aligned towards western practices as these are a significant influence of foreign management practices (Al Dosary, 2004)

Reesa & Althakhrib (2008) also observes that job boards are the major source of online recruitment in Saudi public sector as it carries the information regarding the recent employment opportunities in Saudi Arabia. The professional workers rely heavily on the network of peers and acquaintances to secure employment with organizations who have displayed exceptional growth. The use of referrals, as discussed earlier is widespread in the public’s sector as people use their social position to secure the jobs which otherwise would have been available to other candidates. Technical education and industrial development initiatives are the most noteworthy which will attract large number of investors, encouraging the firm to expand in different forms (Alzalabani, 2002). The concentration of age groups in labour market of Saudi Arabia in public sector is composed of age groups which range between 75 to 80 present of the total available labour force, this reveals that success of online resources for job advertisement is high in age groups which have access to internet and can use the new technologies.

Forstenlechnerab, Madia, Selima & Rutledgea (2012) observes that change in trends of recruitment in Arab states has led to new practices. The campus recruitment has been mentioned by emphasising upon recruitment of employees from the campuses of universities. This practice is widely in use in USA. Majority of candidates apply online and then follow up regarding their application status, however e-governance has increased the amount of time which potential candidate spend on finding jobs online. The companies also perform selection on the basis of online psychometric testing process, largely due to the presence of companies which use sophisticated means of recruitment and selection in Saudi Arabia. Madhi & Barrientos (2003) stated that considerable segmentation in employment and recruitment practices exist in Saudi Arabia, however the standard practice of Public Sector Corporation and other companies in the public sector is the conduction of one interview as this is felt sufficient to determine the likelihood of a potential hiring to be finalized. However, during the selection procedure, some companies in Public sector also use the second interview in order to acquaint the employee with tasks but this does have impact upon a the overall performer. The selection tests have also been modified as per the practices of western countries in order to gauge the problem solving, communication, and out of the box thinking patterns. The majority of methods which are now being used by the public sector organizations are derived from the practices of Communication and Information technology Commission CITC. The e-recruitment is not applied with holistic application details but in fragmented forms, as most of the organizations conduct the initial phase of recruitment that is the collection of resumes and initial bio data, through the electronic means such as email as well as job portals but later phases include traditional methods.

5.         Conclusion

Saudi culture has always been distinct because it was deeply rooted to Islamic values. The culture of Saudi Arabia had long been authoritarian and based on the rule of King of the country. So, the same rule of transfer of responsibilities and authority of country was employed in organizations. The previous literature of HRM practices in the public sector of Saudi Arabia shows that the government of Saudi Arabia used to run all the sectors of the nation, public or foreign. Every organization was enforced to recruit unskilled natives rather than skilled foreigners to reduce the transfer of huge amounts of money to foreign country. The government provided nationals with jobs at three times high pay in the public sector than private sectors to decrease the level of unemployment. The government has set a policy of replacing foreigners with natives, but in doing so the government has faced a substantial decline in productivity and a tendency to corruption. However, with the passage of time, the private sectors in Saudi Arabia have started recruiting the capable individuals, natives or foreigners, to staff the organizations in a competitive world. However, a large part of KSA’s government is to promote the local work force as there already exist considerable resentment in the youth regarding inability to find employment in Saudi Arabia.

Recent research has shown that now, a proper and transparent process of recruitment and selection is emerging in the HR practice of Saudi firms. Telecommunication companies are highly competitive and they need employees who can be productive for their company, so human resource managers are playing an important role in their success. The human resource managers of telecommunication companies make a proper framework for hiring the proficient candidate and pay great attention to job requirements and description. The most modern recruitment approach is e-recruitment, which helps in finding the appropriate candidate for the industry. Telecommunication Companies shortlist the deserving candidates and then candidates passes through the screening test. The most important tests are of their communication and problem solving skills. The most important task of the employees is to satisfy their consumers as well as solve their problems and stay up to date about other competitive companies. Recruitment and selection are initial tasks of HR practitioners on which the future profit and loss of the company depends, as competent human capital is the asset of any company’s success. The review of literature would also help in recognizing possible solutions for making proper recruitment plans as well as highlight the most successful and appropriate hiring method for Saudi organizations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 3 Methodology

Introduction:

The previous chapter has provided an in-depth review of the extant literature pertaining to the recruitment and selection practices in the public sector. This section focuses on identifying the methodological approaches which can be used to gather information relate to the research aims and objectives. This chapter intends to provide an overview of the research approach adopted in the course of this investigation. The research approach serves as a guideline on the basis of which the research paradigm, sampling method, tool of data collection and mode of collecting information from the participants is identified. It also intends to elaborate the various research approaches available for an investigation, with specific emphasis on the chosen methodology.

 

Research Design:

A researcher investigation about an area of interest can select from three main approaches to research, which have been categorized as quantitative, qualitative and mixed method approaches. Each of these research approaches are embedded in different research philosophies. Considering the quantitative approach to inquiry, the researcher can use it for gathering information that is numerical in nature. In other words, the objective data that can be easily quantified becomes the focal point for quantitative research design. On the other hand, qualitative research perspective is more dependent on the subjective nature of data; therefore the focal point of the investigation is related to obtaining in-depth information from the participants. The researcher intends to gather detailed information about the perception, point of view and opinion held by the respondents about an issue, and uses those opinions as a means of developing an understanding of the phenomenon. Another research approach used by researchers has been termed as mixed method or multi method, which uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative modes of investigation.

Each of these research approaches has their own set of strengths which purport their integration in a study. At the same time, there are certain limitations associated with their usage as a means of conducting research, which has an effect on the feasibility of carrying out research as well as the reliability and validity of findings.  The quantitative techniques are eminently known to provide objective information, which is deemed to have high level of reliability and validity. On the other hand, the inability to generate detailed responses from the participants can become a short coming of the approach as the research design fails to offer adequate support for exploratory analysis. Qualitative research seems to counter this limitation by using detailed and subjective information from the participants to develop a theoretical framework about an area of investigation. However, the extensive use of subjective perception can deteriorate its effectiveness in terms of reliability and validity of findings. Secondly, the process of data collection can be time consuming as compared to the quantitative approaches. It has been noted that mixed method approach to research carries the benefit of integrating the strength of objective and subjective data (Bryman & Bell, 2011).

For the current study quantitative research paradigm has been selected. One of the reasons due to which this approach was opted for is that the researcher can gain access to sample in short time duration. Considering the time constraints, the quantitative approach seems to offer a viable mode of investigation. In addition to this, the quantitative research offers objective information which seems to carry lower likelihood of generating erroneous information and interpretation, thus facilitating higher level of reliability and validity. Another possible benefit of using quantitative perspective is that it offers the ease of data tabulation and analysis. Instead of engaging in lengthy data coding, tabulation and analysis, the researcher can focus on the numeric data and analyze it through appropriate statistical analysis tools.

The quantitative research approach can be incorporated in an investigation by using a suitable method that is deemed to fulfill the requirements of the research process. The current study has used case study design as a part of the quantitative approach, with the aim to investigate about the effectiveness of recruitment and selection methods used in a public sector firm, CITC. Case study as a research design, allows the researcher to investigate about the choices made by an organization and the perception commonly held within an organization (Thomas, 2003).

Population and Sample:

Population of a study can be encapsulates as a whole unit, which serves as a framework for selection of the sample. For the current study, population has been identified as consisting of the personnel operating in an organization in the public sector which has been identified as Communication and Information Technology Commission (CITC), located in Saudi Arabia. An important element of research is the selection of target population, from which sample cases can be drawn. The selection of CITC as the focus of investigation has allowed the researcher to select sample from this organization.

In order to collect the sample, a researcher can use probability or non probability method of sampling. Since the population of the study consisted of a single organization, it was easy for the researcher to obtain a list of the employees working in the firm. After obtaining that list, the researcher has randomly selected the employees, to reach a number of 200 personnel. Therefore the sample consisted of 200 employees working in CITC located in Riyadh, who were selected by using simple random sampling as a probability method of sampling. During the sampling phase it was ensured that the participants selected in the study were operating across different department in CITC, to portray a wider perspective, which can be applicable in the organization as whole. Moreover, selecting the personnel from different departments also provided access to a wide array of perception and avoiding the saturation of responses from selected few departments. To align the sample with the research objectives, the sample also consisted of the employers, or the managers who make the recruitment decisions.

Data Collection:

The data collection process was initiated by development of a questionnaire that was focusing on various aspects of recruitment patterns commonly found in organizations. The questionnaire consisted of 20 items, out of which question number 1 to 4 were related to the demographic and professional information, while 5 to 20 were related to the perception about the recruitment practices in the organization. The questionnaire was mainly focusing on close ended questions, while item 8, 9, 10, 11 required a Yes, No followed by an explanation for elaborating the rationale behind the choice. Question number 20 was presented as a completely open ended question facilitating the respondents to freely write their opinion.

The response categories for close ended were developed by using 2 point to four point Likert-type scale. Along with that, ranking scales have also been used to identify the perception of participants about the preference given to certain characteristics during recruitment process. Apart from that, the use of nominal scales has also been observed through statements that required the respondents to identify with only one category that was a most appropriate depiction of their point of view.

The next step in data collection phase after designing of the questionnaire was contacting CICT to seek their participation in the research. Once the permission was granted, the respondents were selected by using simple random sampling as mentioned before, and were contacted via telephone to obtain informed consent from them. In addition to this, the employees as well as the management were provided with an overview of the objectives of the study, assuring complete confidentiality of data to secure motivation of the participants.

Once the participants have agreed to be a part of the study, they were provided with the questionnaire through email. The employees were also requested to email the filled in questionnaire within 14 days of receiving the email. After the specified time, the participants who haven’t returned to filled in questionnaires were contacted again to follow up their progress. Another follow up was conducted to ensure that all of the respondents have emailed the questionnaire back to the researcher. The respondents were also allowed to contact the researcher in case of any query or question via email or telephone to ensure that the questionnaires are clearly understood by the respondents.

Data Analysis:

The next phase in a research process after the data has been collected is related to the analysis of the information. Quantitative data can be analyzed using a wide range of statistical tools, with the development of statistical software creating ease of data tabulation and evaluation. One of the main factors to be considered while opting for a bi-variate or multivariate mode of data analysis is the type of variables under investigation. Secondly, the type of research design also facilitates the process of selection of appropriate statistical techniques.

For the current study, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) has been used for tabulating and analyzing the responses obtained from the participants via questionnaire. The evaluation of the data generated by close ended questions will be carried out by using descriptive statistics, consisting of calculating frequencies and percentages to provide an overview of the distribution of responses in the sample. Furthermore, mean will be been calculated to identify the average, while standard deviation will be computed to gauge the degree of variation that can occur in the calculated values. As far as open ended questions are concerned, the common responses will be identified and highlighted. In addition to this, the data will also be incorporated as a part of the discussion section of the dissertation, using the subjective opinions of the respondents as a basis of elaborative analysis and interpretation. To maintain a significant degree of reliability and validity of the study, the researcher will ensure that the inferences drawn from the findings retain adequate level of objectivity.

 

Ethical Considerations:

A researcher needs to follow certain ethical considerations while conducting an investigation. One of the basic elements which needs to be given due attention by an investigator is to obtain informed consent from the participants of the study. In case of the current research, the researcher had to obtain informed consent in two phases. The first phase involved seeking permission from the management, providing them with a brief overview of the focus of investigation, research objectives and value of the study. Once the management has indicated its approval to be a part of the study, the second phase will focus on obtaining permission from the participants to be a part of the research. The participants will be contacted through email and they will be provided with necessary information about the scope, focus and objectives of the research. Along with that a questionnaire will also be sent to the participants. Since the researcher doesn’t have face to face contact with the sample of respondents, the consent of the participants will be communicated through email.

Another important ethical consideration incorporated in the study was related to maintaining confidentiality of the participants. The questionnaire has included a section on personal information of the participants, including their name; however such information will only be used for the purpose of organizing the data. To assure the participants about the maintenance of confidentiality, the researcher will explicitly indicate that all of the data collected from the participants will only be used for research purpose. Secondly, the participants will also be assured of the confidentiality in terms of keeping the data private, with no intention of revealing it to the third party. The focus on confidentiality is also important as it allow the respondents to provide the information as accurately as possible. In cases where the participants feel threatened by a lack of confidentiality or anonymity, they may decline to be a part of the study or twist their responses to portray themselves in a positive light.

The researcher has also been aware of the importance associated with the use of unbiased language in the questionnaire. A researcher is ethically bound to avoid the usage of terms and expression which can illustrate a biased or prejudiced attitude. In order to comply with this element of ethical framework, a neutral tone has been adopted by the researcher in developing the questionnaire. Another important ethical consideration followed by the researcher was to present the questionnaire in both Arabic as well as English language so that the participants do not have to feel language barrier in responding to the questionnaire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 4- Findings and discussion

Findings

A questionnaire consisting of 20 items was used to collect the data in this research. The questionnaire was distributed among 200 employees in the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) in Riyadh. This chapter presents an analysis of the data collected from the questionnaire along with a discussion on findings of this primary research survey. The data was tabulated and processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software (version 20.0). Descriptive analysis was performed, using standard statistical methods.

This section is divided into three parts, the first dealing with socio-demographic characteristics, giving frequencies and percentages; the second being a descriptive analysis of frequencies and percentages, mean and standard deviation. And the last part carries the recommendations from the employees to improve upon the R&S procedures in public sector enterprises in KSA.

Table 1 shows the socio-demographic characteristics (age, qualification and job title) of a total sample of 200 employees, managers and technical staff (all KSA nationals).

The first item in the questionnaire was related to name of the participants, which was only used for organizing the raw data; therefore, it wasn’t used in analysis. The second item in the questionnaire was related to the age of the respondents. The data indicates that most of the participants were in range of 21-40 years of age (91.0%). To further categorize the age groups, it can be seen that 47.5% of the respondents belonged to the category of 21-30 year, while, 43.5% were in the age range of 31-40 years. The table 1 given below shows the various categories and its related frequency and percentage.

As far as qualification is concerned (refer to item number 3 in the questionnaire), a significant percent of the employees (68.5%) held university degree. There were 25% of the respondents in the sample who had post graduate qualification, while a smaller proportion belonged to high school (6%) and less than high school (0.5%).

Information about the title or job designation of the respondents has also been obtained in the questionnaire (refer to item number 4 in questionnaire). There were 49% of respondents who were employees, 41.5% belonged to technical department while the remaining 9.5 were either operating at the managerial position, or performed duties as head of the department.

Table 1: Socio Demographic Statistics of Saudi Employees

 

The graph given below represents the illustration of percentage of the sample selected from Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) in Riyadh.

Fig 1- Age Distribution of employees at CITC, Riyadh

The pie chart (Fig 2) below displays that considerable majority (68.5%) of CITC employees held university degree whereas only 0.5% of employees were educated below the high school level. 25% postgraduate degree and 6% went to high school. The responses which were received from CITC employees also reveal that the employees were highly educated and carried extensive educational background.

Fig 3 Distribution of CITC employees as per qualification held

Fig 4 Distribution of CITC employees according to title jobs

A significantly large percentage of CITC employees comprise of technical and general level staff. Technical staff comprised 41.5% of total employees at CITC signifying that work nature is complex and related to information technology. 49% of CITC employees are general cadre employees and 9.5% of their employees are unit head and managerial staff.

In response to item no. 5, majority of the respondents told that recruitment being carried out is through the university campuses, as the table in Fig 5 displays that 33% of the total respondents mentioned campus recruitment as their source of recruitment and selection. The job portals and websites are being used by 30% of the respondents. This shows that a major portion (63%) of the respondents mentioned university campuses and job portals along with online websites as their source for recruitment. Surprisingly, only 8% mentioned newspapers as the source of recruitment for their company. 7.5% told that consultants of HR referred the new employees and other sources for recruitment were mentioned by 21% of the respondents.

Fig 5 Distribution of responses to item No. 6

 

The responses to item no. 5 varied in their respective percentages, as 11% of the respondents mentioned campus as the best source of hiring middle level employees whereas 57% of respondents mentioned job portals and websites as the most effective source of recruiting middle level employees. Newspaper advertisements were used as the source of recruitment by 15.5% of the total respondents, 7.5% mentioned consultants as the best source of middle level hiring whereas 9% mentioned other sources as best for recruitment of middle level employees.

Fig 6 Percentage distribution for best source of middle level hiring

 

In response to item no. 6, where respondents were asked whether they considered e-recruitment as an effective means of recruiting new employees, the respondents reported a strong inclination (55% strongly agreed and 36% agreed) towards e-recruitment and only tiny percentage (9%) out of the total respondents viewed e-recruitment unfavorably.

Fig 7 E-recruitment as an effective means of recruitment

The responses to item no.7 were also appreciative of e-recruitment source as the respondents gave detailed reasons as to what made e-recruitment a suitable method of recruiting employees. 32.5% of the respondents highly agreed and 42.5% agreed with the practice of e-recruitment as they mentioned that the cost of recruitment is decreased by manifold as the sorting and shortlisting of candidates is made easy. The e-recruitment also allows in some cases, to conduct pre-interview online and offline competency test which further helps in calling only the appropriate candidates for final recruitment process. 25% of the respondents did not approve e-recruitment as a suitable source as they cited presence of misleading information in resumes as their main concern. They also reported that majority of their jobs being advertised for recruitment purpose required the display of technical and hand-on skill assessment which cannot be achieved effectively through e-recruitment and campus recruitment along with consultant recommended candidates were their priority for filling the vacant posts.

Fig 8 Effectiveness of e-recruitment

Category	No.	%
Strongly agree	65	32.5
Agree	85	42.5
Disagree	39	19.5
Strongly disagree	11	5.5
Total	200	100.0
Mean     1.98               STD 0.86

 

Response to item no. 8 corroborated the findings of literature review as the respondents were asked that if their company have a formal policy of referrals to filling the vacant job posts, 63.5% of them mentioned referrals as a formal source of recruitment in their company whereas only 36.5% mentioned that their company did not have a policy of referrals as this hindered the attraction of diverse talent. The literature reviewed in the previous section did provide such findings being reported by various researchers that referrals are a dominant source of recruitment as well as promotions in the public sector of Saudi Arabia.

Fig 9 Desirability of referral system in recruitment

Category	No.	%
Yes	127	63.5
No	73	36.5
Total	200	100.0
Mean     1.37              STD 0.48

 

The responses to item no. 9 reveal that public sector companies in Saudi Arabia do plan to outsource the recruitment function of their HR department as this is considered to improve the availability of suitable candidates and management of recruitment function. Since most of the public sector companies have been hiring their work force from foreign recruitment companies, they have not established any linkages with the local HR providers. The outsourcing of recruitment will allow the public sector companies to overcome this shortcoming. 61% of the total respondents mentioned that their company is interested in outsourcing the recruitment function whereas only 39% opined against outsourcing the recruitment of new employees.

Fig 10 Interest in Outsourcing recruitment function

Category	No.	%
Yes	122	61.0
No	78	39.0
Total	200	100.0
Mean     1.39              STD 0.49

 

The responses to item no. 10 illustrated that a major segment of the desired pool of candidates for interviewing is gathered in one month from the advertisement of the job. First fifteen days from the advertisement of job also yields good result for gathering pool of candidates. 38% of the respondents mentioned that one month is the time period in which adequate number of candidates has applied and that a pool of candidates for interviewing within this time period is achieved. 27.5% mentioned as the appropriate time period after the advertisement to attract adequate pool of candidates. 21% of the respondents reported two months period whereas only 13.5% mentioned more than two months as the appropriate time that adequate pool of candidates for interviewing is achieved.

Fig 11 Time required attracting desired pool of candidates

 

Item 11 inquired about from the respondents to rank regarding the priorities they place in recruiting the employees on three levels i.e. junior, middle level, and senior level. The results of responses for middle level recruitment are displayed in Fig 12. Qualification and experience are ranked 1 & 2 respectively as communication and leadership skills are ranked 3^rd and 4^th in order. This reveals that middle level employees shall be highly qualified along with relevant experience to be recruited.

Fig 12 Priority ranking for Middle level employment

 

Experience is ranked at first number for recruitment at senior level and leadership skills follow after this in ranking. Communication and qualification are less desirable as compared to experience and leadership skills for senior level recruitment.

Fig 13 Priority ranking for senior level recruitment

 

For junior level recruitment (Fig 14), employers seek communication skills as most desirable as they are ranked at first place whereas qualification is ranked 2^nd. Leadership skills and experience is ranked at third and fourth number as the junior level posts are usually filled by inexperienced and previously unemployed persons.

Fig 14 Priority ranking for junior level recruitment

 

The response to item no. 12 displays that different number of rounds of interviews is held for job categories before the offer for job is made. Fig 15 represents the results that senior employees are offered the job after holding three rounds of interviews (50%) whereas junior level of employees are offered the job mostly (59%) after the first interview.

Fig 15 Number of interviews before providing offer letter

 

As to the query no. 13, the responses reveal that psychometric test is the most commonly used (70%) test with top ranking for selecting the candidates. Aptitude test is preferred by 35% of the respondents and is ranked at the second number. Technical ability test is preferred by 16.5% respondents with ranking at the fourth number whereas performance and sample tests are preferred by 35.5% of the respondents and is ranked at the third number out of the four formats of testing.

Fig 15 Forms of testing process

Category	No.	%	Rank
Psychometric test	141	70.5	1
Aptitude test	70	35.0	2
Technical ability test	33	16.5	4
Performance test/ work sample test	71	35.5	3
Total	200	100.0	-

 

Regarding item no. 14, Fig 14 displays that the rejected candidates are mostly reported (60%) not to be informed while 25% respondents are informed regarding this decision through telephone. 15% are informed through the email that they are not selected for the employment.

Fig 14 Source of information for rejected candidates

Category	No.	%
Yes	62	31.0
No	138	69.0
Total	200	100.0
Mean     1.69              STD 0.46

 

The responses of item no. 15 displays that significant percentage (60%) of respondents revealed the background check does help to gather information about the candidates whereas only 15.5% reported that background check does not provide much needed information about the applicants.

Fig 15 Useful information from Background check

Fig 16, as a response to item no. 16 displays that bond was considered necessary for junior level of employees by 93% of the respondents whereas only 7% considered it unnecessary for junior level employees.

 

 

 

Fig 16 Is Background check useful for gathering information

Table:?

 

Item 17 was regarding the probation period for the trainees where 34.5% of respondents replied that 3 months was the probationary time period for the new trainees whereas 39% reported that 1 year was the probationary time period for new trainees. Other time periods for the probationary period of traineeship were 21.5% whereas only 4.5% reported to have 6 months as probationary time for new trainees. The background check is used for investigating upon the presence of criminal cases or unwanted public record if any regarding the person who is being offered the job and public sector organizations are more vigilant in this practice as compared to the private sector companies.

 

Fig 17 Probation Time period for new trainees

 

Item no. 18 asked the respondents to quote the state the weakness of recruitment system in which they have been working. Fig 18 displays that 65% respondents held non-professional approaches in recruitment as the main weakness of their recruitment system whereas only 35% stated favoritism and nepotism as weakness of their recruitment system.

Fig 18 Weakness in recruitment system

 

An open ended question was also asked from the respondents regarding how to improve upon the recruitment and selection system in the public sector organizations.

The open ended question being asked for suggesting improvement in recruitment system was also asked to which few respondents provided the answer. The majority who provided the responses opined to initiate company dedicated websites for recruitment and selection purposes and emphasized upon the need to introduce online and offline performance tests designed by R&S consultants. 57% of CITC employees have stated that web portals are the source of recruitment; this also reveals a shift of trend in R&S practices throughout the world where communication and technology has played a vital role in automating the process of HRM. The acceptance of e-HR on such large scale in Saudi Arabia’s public sector is also attributed to flow of information, interactions flexibility, perceived control, and system acceptance by the managers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discussion

 

The role of management in deciding upon the source of recruitment to be adopted is critical as they are the ones who execute the organizational strategy with regards to HRM. Campuses have been identified as having a significant role in recruitment as 30% of the respondents favored the induction of new employees through this source. Ali (1990) has contended that societies, such as Saudi Arabia, which are in transition, face problems in striking a balance between appropriate management model as well as practice. However, the induction of employees sourced from university campuses reveals that Saudi public sector has incorporated this practice as a consequence of influence of foreign management practices.

The responses to item no. 5 also reveals that job portals and websites of the company are an important source of hiring new employees in public sector companies of Saudi Arabia; however the design and content of these websites need to be of reasonable quality as Cober, Brown, Levy, Cober & Keeping (2003) observed that content and stylistics of the websites have significant impact on applicants and how conveniently they carry through the recruitment process. The Saudi Public sector still does not seem to approach R&S from a holistic point of view as there are fragmented sources being used for the recruitment by organization in public sector. Fitz-enz (2002) mentioned that the cost of hiring employees should be calculated so that an integrated and continuing policy can be chalked out by the management (Achouia, 2003: Florkowski & Luján, 2006).

Respondents favorably viewed the practice of e-recruitment as 91% of the respondents approved of this practice for recruitment in public sector organizations. Lengnick-Hall & Moritz (2003) contends that information based self-service is at the core of this transition as it helps the managers to perform their functions with least external interference. One of the major reasons which have enabled e-recruitment to be used by developed as well as developing countries is the use of an integrated format to collect, store, and utilize the data (Hendrickson, 2003).

Not only the technological part but the people and policies also interact with these Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS). Saudi Arabia has used the recruitment methods in an electronic format but the appraisal systems have not been observed to be automated and integrated in the HRIS. Utility from automating the HR function is not derived on optimal level as the management function of public sector organizations is still in transition (Stonea, Stone-Romeroa & Lukaszewskib, 2006).  The respondents who did not approve of e-recruitment objected on the ability of e-recruitment to analyze the abilities and skills of applicants through computer screening. Statistical analysis is described as an important tool for effective management of e-recruitment failing to which organizations can get frustrated with the results of e-recruitment practice (Smith & Rupp, 2004).

The finding of response to item no. 9 reveal that significant percentage of respondents are interested in outsourcing the recruitment function as this may add effective management to this function due to the expertise of service provider. OECD published a report  (ÄIJÄLÄ, 2002) regarding the state of public sector recruitment which provides some useful information that validates the concerns of respondents and highlights as to why the majority of them (61%) were interested in outsourcing this function. The report of OECD reveals that two concerns remain the top priority for the public sector employers, first being able to make the public sector employment attractive as compared to private sector as this can ensure increased pool of available applicants. Secondly, the improvement of HR functions is most important for public sector organization as this can ensure effective management of available pool of human resources.

The response time of placed ads is also an important factor which implies the success of recruitment function. Managers expect that they shall be able to attract desired pool of applicants within month period from the time ad has been placed or the job being advertised at the job portal. Russo, Rietveld, Nijkamp & Gorter (1995) have emphasized that overall economic benefit of HR function must be considered when allocating budget for the recruitment and retention function of the HR department. The majority of respondents reported that they are able to attract the desired pool for interviews with the first month of placing the ad. 65% of respondents reported non-professionalism as the main source of weakness in their HR and recruitment function of their organization. Common (2011) observed that in HRM reforms of public sector of Georgia, USA, deep politicization was present in the administrative system of managing recruitment and retention. Same limitation of these reform initiatives are also observed in Saudi public sector as nepotism and favoritism are also reported to be high there, however non-professionalism is also the outcome of politicizing the new reforms as it poses challenge for older workers and managers to enhance their skill set and ability to handle such systems.

There were also differing results regarding the desirability of specific traits in applicants for three broader categories i.e. senior level, middle level, and junior level of employees. Experience was indicated as the most desirable factor. It was ranked at the top in case of hiring senior level employees. Gardner & Stough (2002) indicate that emotional intelligence is attributed to more experienced managers thus they are deemed more suitable for filling the senior level of job openings. Qualification and experience was desired and ranked first and second respectively in order to hire middle level of managers. Purcell & Hutchinson (2007) stated that front line managers are vital in promoting the organizational performance as they represent the organization. This implies that qualification is given an importance in hiring the middle managers as this directly influences their ability to perform customer service obligations and meet their performance standards.

Referral policy has also been mentioned by majority of the respondents as the de-facto policy of their organization to hire new employees. The referral system is encouraged in some management systems as this helps the organization increase the stake of employees in the success of company. This further has a positive impact on the performance of the organization as a whole. However, the management practice of some countries deviates from this protocol as they have been observed to discourage the referrals, thus such an attitude inversely affects the performance of the organization. The referral system is strong in Saudi Arabia’s public sector (Assad, 2002) as the country is transitioning from a more centralized form of management towards the adoption of devolved management practices. However, still there will be years before the referrals are replaced with purely performance and skill based recruitment. It has also been found that senior level of jobs are filled by the senior managers (write this more clearly)  and before providing them with the offer letter, more than two interviews are held. This implies that a greater degree of complication is involved in the hiring of senior level of employees and considerable details need to be discussed regarding pay structure, performance benchmarks, retirement, and team building issues which are associated with senior level of employees. However, the middle managers and junior level of employees are hired at a faster pace, owing to the fact that they have to go through fewer rounds of interviews. As far as junior level employees are concerned, they are usually hired after the first interview as their selection doesn’t involve a high degree of complexity, since they have to perform relatively simple tasks than the middle or senior level mangers. Middle level of managers are the front line managers as well, there are usually two interviews before they are offered the placement in organization (rewrite this one, may be the first part of the sentence doesn’t fit in here).

Psychometric testing is observed to be the most frequently used source of recruitment and selection practice in public sector organizations in Saudi Arabia. The employers are able to assess the applicant on a wider scale than just the qualification and performance measures. The suitability of the employee with respect to the emotional and psychological aspect of their personality is also important where the recruitment costs are high and companies are planning strategically to build their human resources. Aptitude tests also prove beneficial in gauging the personality fit of the applicant with the job description. This enables the employer to assess the behavior which an employee will show towards accomplishing the job tasks. Intrinsic motivation is also assessed in aptitude tests (need a reference for this point) and this acts as an internal motivator for the employee if his/her aptitude is relevant to the job being interviewed or tested for.

Background check is highly beneficial in gathering information regarding past job experiences and relevant data of the applicants which is important is assessing the suitability of the candidate. The employer seeks to investigate any criminal record (if any) which the applicant has hidden while applying for the job. However, the background checks are usually conducted in format which does not provide significantly new information regarding the applicant. A negative trend in the recruitment practice of Saudi public sector is regarding not communicating to the applicant if he has been rejected and disapproved for being hired after conducting the interview. This negatively affects the image of the organization. However, in some countries it is mandatory to inform the candidate about the disapproval and this practice is more usual in armed forces.

Probation period is also an indicator as to how interested the candidate will be to continue the job with any public sector company. 39% of the respondents reported that 1 year is the probation period after which an employee is considered permanent and meanwhile the performance is judged regarding the suitability of employee with pay structure which is not equal to that of a permanent employee. The findings regarding the recruitment practices of public sector firms in Saudi Arabia reveal that HR function is concentrated on finding the candidates which can match with the job description of advertised jobs, and this is mostly filled through a mix of internal as well as external recruitment. Internal recruitment is not widely practiced due to the lack of local populations’ job skills, to which the Saudi government has established a comprehensive plan. The government has initiated the enhancement of skill set of locals with the help of different programs in training and development. Universities have also been built lately to support the induction of locals on continued basis.

The public sector is effectively competed by private sector as the government of Saudi Arabia has liberalized the economy for foreign direct investments in Information technology and communication sectors. The availability of labor from local market will improve the practices of recruitment as there will be more resources available to the companies for training and development of new employees as a consequence of less dependence on foreign labor. The HR officials also have a significant role in recruitment of employees in the Saudi public sector as private HR providers from Asian countries have long provided the employees in technical, health, and construction industry. Lately, such providers have held seminars for attracting employees from foreign countries.

CITC has been one of the few public sector firms which have fully incorporated the e-recruitment practices in their HR function. Technology orientation has been the major catalyst in the adoption of e-recruitment practice as the firm is responsible for initiating and furthering the communication technologies throughout the country. As recruitment through the electronic means is highly dependent on the use of technology hardware and software, the firm has developed its own e-portals to sustain the management of HR. one illustration of this initiative can be seen in the for m of HRIS which is an integrated format of conducting the HR tasks electronically; including gathering, storage, disseminating and utilizing the information related to employees.

The case of CITC has helped in understanding the cultural aspect of recruitment. Firms which are heavily invested with technology platforms do not engage in practices which undermine the utility of their technological platforms, such as their information systems which require integrated formats of data along with access to internet. Broadband network in Saudi Arabia has been enhanced which has significantly improved the HR functions’ performance in the public sector, as HRIS depends upon effective access of internet (Eric, Ngai, Law, Chan & Wat, 2008). ICTC was formally engaged in the development of infrastructure of communication technologies which required it to establish an HRIS providing it with much needed competitive edge over the private sector firms such as Mobily which has heavily invested in the infrastructural development in Riyadh and other cities.

Recruitment is complemented by the selection systems which companies adopt to finally select the candidates which recruiters have provided them with. Selection is mostly carried out in controlled environment and this requires the conduction of different tests along with background and referral check. However, senior level of employees who are being hired do not need to go through the testing procedures as they are mote required to elaborate upon their past experiences and how would they benefit the organization they are joining. They have two to three interviews which form the basis of their selection in which more details are discussed regarding their pay structure, fringe benefits, and associated responsibilities. Furthermore the discussion also includes overseeing the expansion programs of the firm. The difference between the criteria of hiring the senior, middle, and junior level of employees is seen in almost all the countries of developing world along with most of the developed countries. The rationale is present in this case as experience of having done job for number of years acquits senior employees to be tested on aptitude or psychometric criteria. The recruitment practice in public sector is evolving and will go through significant changes as more private sector firms have started operations in Saudi Arabia. The employees will have more mature job market in which expectations will be raised to have job websites which have quality content along with professional layout which competes with the job websites and online portals of private firms operating in the Saudi market. HR departments of the public sector have mostly been involved in record keeping of the employees’ data whereas currently it is assuming an active role in planning and execution of organizational strategy. Their role is enhanced after observing the results they have delivered in the western management system which has evolved from HRM to human capital management (Truss, 2008).

It has been observed in most of the public sector organizations that wherever the HR function is highly integrated and relies on informed analysis, it performs effectively in all domains of HRM with line HR employees playing vital role in this function (Wright, McMahan, Snell & Gerhart, 2001). However, if these domains are managed on standalone basis, they do not get the requisite data feedback from other functions of HR and this result in duplicated activities and use of more resources than required otherwise. CITC is also engaged in integrated practice of HR function whereby all the domains of HR function are managed through a central data base hub being connected throughout their regional centers, such systems make significant use of data mining which is sophistically used by many organizations (Jones & Dages, 2003). Though, the decision is made centrally but the access to information is made available regionally also within well-defined information security apparatus, this has been observed successful in British and French companies (Caroli & Reenen, 2001) which prompted its adoption in developing countries. The maturity level of CITC’s HRIS system is different within different domains of HR function and recruitment and selection is the most mature function which has been practiced electronically since the birth of this organization. Having conducted a holistic analysis of recruitment practice in public sector of Saudi Arabia, it is evident that traditional role of HR function has got accumulated along with new role of guiding the organizational strategy and empirical evidence of this finding is corroborated in Truss (2008) where six U.K. public sector firms were observed to have developed hybrid formats of HR functions, including the recruitment and selection of employees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 5- Conclusion

Recruitment and selection in an organization is carried out by the HRM department, the majority of R&S procedures rely on the HR division and the role this division assumes in planning function of an organization. Public sector organizations in Saudi Arabia have been administering recruitment and selection of employees through administration department and still the trend continues with gradual advancement towards transforming HR as an executive management function. Similarly, the reference firm, CITC has also not placed HR function within strategic planning level and the department remains at sixth level of organizational structure as a general department. R&S function of HR department is the most mature function which CITC has been performing with the use of new technology, still influenced by traditional organizational culture and politicization. The company has shifted towards e-recruitment lately and HRIS is managed for R&S, T&D, compensation and benefits, and succession planning.

The findings from literature review indicate that like most of the large public sector organizations in developing countries, CITC is also transitioning from traditional management culture towards modern management practices and use of electronic platforms to perform R&S function. Job boards and websites have assumed the most prominent position in this function, followed by non-electronic format of recruitment that is campus recruitment. However, CITC being technology driven company, plans to conduct recruitment in future through the use of online space for advertising, marketing, and selecting employment personnel through e-recruitment channel. The structure of CITC and other public sector organizations still make it difficult to carry out recruitment process with enhanced time efficiency and less cost as layers of parallel and vertical reporting mechanism delay this procedure. However, this study assumes that the findings will facilitate the management to adopt a more flexible stance towards the efficient adoption of technology based recruitment and selection practices.

Limitations of the study

CITC was taken as a case study for public sector organizations in Saudi Arabia regarding the trends in recruitment and selection methods along with respective procedures. Case study method has been criticized for generality in context of application of findings of a particular case study. However, Flyvbjerg (2006) observed that these general perceptions regarding limitation of case study can be removed by conducting greater number of case study. CITC being a large public sector company does provide relevant and original information about R&S practices within public sector of Saudi Arabia but application of results of this study are not relevant to organizations which have low technology infrastructure in place as they would require to elevate the technology as catalyst to speeding up the procedure of HRM through internet based integrated networks. Furthermore, the bias and error of researcher also impacts the results of the study along with inaccurate information (if any) being provided by the respondents of questionnaire. The respondents might have provided information that is incomplete. The respondents may not be able to concentrate on the research questionnaire because of lack of time. The respondents may provide inaccurate information because of the subjective nature of some questions to which every respondent replied in different words and meanings. Future researchers can also consider using a combination of questionnaire and interviews to gain an in-depth understanding about the perception of employees and employer about effectiveness of recruitment and selection practices.

Present study focused on the recruitment and selection procedures and methods of public sector organizations in Saudi Arabia and CITC was taken as a case study for investigating upon the research questions. The future researchers can investigate recruitment and selection in private companies operating in Saudi Arabia as number of private firms operating there has increased due to a continuous effort of government. Such a study will provide insight in to the practices of private firms regarding their criteria and application of recruitment procedures. E-recruitment practices can also be assessed for level of maturity as public sector firms have displayed high level of acceptability for e-recruitment practice.

 

Recommendations

The results of the study indicate that most of the respondents saw non-professionalism as a major weakness of their R&S function. Therefore, following recommendations will elaborate the introduction of certain reforms in R&S practice within public sector of Saudi Arabia.

• The need to have advanced and mature R&S function, the cost of this function need to be properly assessed as frequent hiring and terminations result in diseconomy of scales in HR function of an organization. Forecasting the workforce demand is an important function which R&S unit of HRM department should perform on periodic basis.
• The HR forecasting tools such as trend analysis, ratio analysis, scatter plot, work study technique, and computerized analysis shall be used to assess the need of public sector organizations. This will help these companies to manage their HR on sustained basis.
• Job analysis shall be made mandatory before starting the hiring procedure and it correctly identifies which attributes the companies are looking for. Aptitude tests heavily rely on gathering such attributes; therefore the job analysis shall identify these desired attributes.
• Discrimination and bias shall be systematically reduced from existing procedures of R&S of public sector as favoritism and nepotism has been reported to be present in most of the public sector firms. Automating and standardization of recruitment and selection process will minimize such challenges.
• The validity of testing procedure for particular job posts shall be gauged as psychometric tests are more useful for junior level of hiring whereas hiring for middle and senior level involves much complex decision criteria on part of the applicant and the test might not be able to assess person-job fit. Testing of comprehension, problem solving, and emotional intelligence are more relevant in recruiting senior and middle level of employees.

Application for Management

The study will have considerable applications which managers as HR planners can use to alter and align the practices of recruitment in Public sector with the findings of this study. The subjective responses which employees provided to the questionnaire can guide regarding how the culture of organizations along with pre-conceived notions impact the process of recruitment. The managers, while stating how the management of recruiting process is done, revealed that employees are categorized as senior, middle, and junior level of employees. Senior level employees are observed to pass through a totally different recruitment standard in which their experience and leadership skills are given more importance as compared to qualification and communication skills. The middle level employees are mostly sought after for the qualifications they hold in their academic as well as professional career. The probation periods which employers offer during which an employee’s performance is monitored are different with respect to level of recruitment being conducted. There is a clear interest in public sector employees regarding the use of e-recruitment on permanent basis to meet the need of organizations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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