The chamber is currently in discussion with various government bodies on ways to change laws and regulations to allow this to happen. According to the JCCI if the new provisions are adopted, some 150,000 well-paid job opportunities eventually could be created for women across the country.

The JCCI plan is to reduce the unemployment rate of women to 10 percent; the official figure currently stands at 29 percent (for women who are considered active job seekers).

“There will be three main issues the JCCI will be discussing with regard to this plan,” said JCCI Director General for Information Technology Muhiaddeen Hakami.

“The first thing is to assure there is a legal endorsement of contractual agreements between companies and those seeking jobs, that way those who are seeking work from home will guarantee their rights. On the second issue, we will discuss how to categorize the work-from-home jobs. The third issue will be to identify similar jobs in the future, and also to create training programs and centers in this field.” Hakami explained that telecommuting (working for an employer from a home-office using the telephone and Internet) provides an answer to the problem of having to establish separate sections for women in companies in order to avoid any confrontations with the religious authorities. The rising prominence of telecommuting worldwide offers an opportunity for Saudi Arabia to adopt the practice to address concerns related to the mingling of the sexes in the workplace.

"Recruitment for work-from-home posts is in high demand in industrialized nations, particularly in marketing and customer service professions, and there are many companies that have started focusing in this field, but without clear regulations that guarantee both parties’ rights." said Hakami.