Faculty jobs: Saudis with Ph.D. ‘should be preferred’

Education Minister Ahmed Al-Issa directed universities to give preference to Saudi applicants holding doctoral degrees for faculty jobs.
The directive came after many Saudis with doctoral degrees complained of bias against them by officials at local universities.
"Their applications should be given the right attention and carefully studied in light of the concerned academic field or department needs at universities for the specialties of degree holders," Al-Issa said in his directive.
The merit of an application should be decided by a specialized body of the university and not solely by the dean of faculty or head of the academic department concerned, he added.
The applicants with Ph.D. degrees often cite two major hurdles while applying for faculty positions: the universities' preference for expatriates and complicated application procedures for citizens.
Saudi university graduates are increasingly pursuing their graduate studies, in particular, to earn Ph.D. degrees from local or external universities, seeking better employment prospects, especially as they consider the position of a faculty member prestigious. 
Saudi Ph.D. degree holders have been finding it increasingly difficult in recent years to land faculty jobs due to stiff competition from expatriates.