Although the country's reliance on foreign workers has been a concern to the Saudi government since the mid-1950s,[1] the situation has persisted because of a reluctance by Saudis to take on menial work and a shortage of Saudi candidates for skilled jobs.[8] This has, in part, been blamed on the Saudi education system, which has been criticized for its emphasis on religion and rote learning.[9] The Saudi economy has, therefore, remained dependent on Westerners for expertise in specialised industries and on the Asian workforce for the construction industry as well as for menial and unskilled tasks.[8] In response, since 1995 the Saudi government has initiated a policy of Saudization, replacing foreign workers with Saudi nationals. For example, in 2000, it was decreed that the work force of businesses with more than 20 employees must be at least 25 per cent Saudi.[4] In the private sector, there has been a reluctance to employ Saudis and Saudization is generally considered to have been a failure.[10] Saudis themselves may be unwilling to take certain jobs, considering them to lack social value.[11]