RIYADH: Saudi Arabia yesterday said it would reimburse contractors for increased expatriate worker fees in government projects approved before Dec 2016, as the labor-intensive construction industry reels from an economic slowdown. The kingdom has long relied on foreign labor for jobs such as construction, but a recent hike in expat levies and fees for dependents has triggered an exodus of foreign workers from the once tax-free haven. "After reviewing the imposition of monthly fees on expatriate labor... the cabinet orders the finance ministry... to compensate enterprises which entered into government contracts before December 2016," the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. - AFP