Saudi Arabian civil servants work only one hour a day.

This is shocking information from senior Saudi officials regarding the actual performance of many civil servants in the country.

Many Saudi Arabian civil servants actually work only one hour a day - Photo: Reuters

According to RT (Russia), during an official discussion on the state of the Saudi Arabian economy broadcast during prime time on the evening of October 19th, Saudi Arabian Minister Khaled Alaraj stated: "The effective working time of government employees is not even one hour, based on studies."

Senior Saudi officials believe that if things continue at this pace, Saudi Arabia will go bankrupt in just three or four years.

This issue is clearly becoming particularly serious in Saudi Arabia, where the economy is reeling from falling oil prices. The country is also trying to find ways to cut its budget deficit, which reached $100 billion last year.

More than two-thirds of Saudi Arabia's workforce is employed in government agencies, a significant number compared to the nearly 20% in the United States.

Last year, Saudi Arabia spent approximately 45% of its budget, equivalent to $128 billion, on civil servant salaries.

Prior to the recent reforms, even the most ordinary civil servant in Saudi Arabia enjoyed very generous benefits. They worked only 35 hours a week and frequently received additional bonuses.

However, with an estimated economic growth rate of only 1.2% this year and oil prices still hovering around $50 a barrel, Saudi Arabia is facing numerous challenges.

Deputy Economy Minister Mohamed Al Tuwaijri said: "If we don't take any measures, and if the global economy remains as it is now, we will go bankrupt in three or four years."

Recently, the Saudi Arabian government has announced a series of unprecedented cost-cutting measures, some systemic, some reactive.

Along with solutions such as implementing a first-time business tax, charging a pilgrimage visa fee of approximately $530 per person, reducing subsidies for certain energy sources, and imposing heavier road taxes, the government has also attempted to cut spending in the public administration sector.

Last month, senior officials had their salaries cut by 20% and had to pay for their own gas and personal phone bills, while employees lost 11 days' wages when the government switched from the Islamic calendar to the Western calendar.

Civil servants who fail to perform their duties can now be fired after three years. This is seen as a revolution in Saudi Arabia because the country has too many jobs that are essentially idle for life.

In many government agencies across this Gulf nation, employees are now required to swipe their cards multiple times a day to prove their presence at work.

Alongside this, the government is also trying to create further reforms to make the private sector more flexible and attractive to workers, such as a six-day work week and reducing working hours from 48 hours to 40 hours per week.

Overall, with all the solutions that have been and are being implemented, the Saudi Arabian government hopes to create an additional 450,000 private sector jobs by 2020.

According to Tuoi Tre newspaper