Saudi Arabia's Labor¹ Minister found a novel way of encouraging Saudis to take jobs they think are beneath them -- by working as a waiter for three hours in a fast-food restaurant, newspapers reported on Tuesday.

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

"The beginning will always be tiring and difficult, but young people can realize their ambitions if they are persistent² and work hard," al-Watan reported Algosaibi as saying before kissing a Saudi worker on the head in appreciation³.

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

Around a third of Saudi Arabia's population of some 25 million is foreigners. The government is trying to diversify⁴ the economy away from reliance on oil receipts.

Many Saudis including graduates hope for work in the government and shun⁵ many menial jobs done by the large expatriate labor force.

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

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

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

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

沙特共有约2500万人口，约有1/3是外国人。沙特政府正在努力发展多样化经济，而不仅仅依赖于石油收入。

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

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