JEDDAH: The Labor Ministry will open employment offices at universities as part of a new strategy endorsed by the Cabinet to reduce unemployment among young Saudi men and women.
“Our ministry is in the process of implementing the new national employment strategy, which was approved by the Council of Ministers recently,” said Qussi Felali, director of the Labor Office in Jeddah.
He described the new strategy as a road map for tackling job market issues, especially matters related to training and employment of national manpower.
“The new strategy will be carried out at short-term, medium-term and long-term bases in order to cut the unemployment rate to the minimum and strengthen the competitiveness of the national economy,” he said.
Felali said the new strategy aims at providing employment to all Saudi jobseekers.
“In the coming months, the Ministry of Labor will translate the strategy into a working program,” he added. “The preparation of the strategy was one of the major works of the ministry.”
He said the Ministry and Labor offices were continuing their efforts in association with the Human Resource Development Fund to train and employ jobseekers.
He emphasized the importance of qualifying Saudis to take up new jobs offered by mega economic cities in Rabigh, Hail, Madinah and Jazan.
He said the Labor Office in Jeddah has provided jobs to 1,300 young Saudis through an employment forum, adding that many of them were earning a monthly salary of SR4,000 per month and above.
The new strategy includes establishment of women’s units at the Human Resource Development Fund and supporting productive family programs. Women will be encouraged to work from remote work centers. The new employment strategy includes the establishment of employment offices at institutes of higher learning as well as at secondary schools where students would be informed of employment opportunities in the public and private sectors and job requirements.
“The ministry will coordinate with relevant government departments and agencies to train Saudis to meet job market requirements,” Felali said.
Speaking about incentives given to private companies for employing more Saudis, he said they would be given priority in government contracts and purchases. A new prize for Saudization will also be introduced, he added.
