The RCCI aims to offer 279 jobs in private companies in Riyadh province for young Saudis.

“The RCCI’s employment center has called on all interested Saudi candidates to visit the RCCI and attend short interviews, starting next Saturday,” said Abdulrahman A. Al-Jeraisy, RCCI’s president.

Unemployment among Saudis is on the rise, exceeding 10.5 percent according to the Riyadh-based Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI) in a report last week.

“The move to generate employment opportunities by RCCI is now one of its foremost priorities,” said Al-Jeraisy.

He pointed out that the RCCI planned to help create jobs for young graduates by contacting its members. This direct employment scheme, he said, will be implemented on a regular basis for young Saudi graduates.

He revealed that the RCCI’s training center would unveil a major training plan on Oct. 9 this year.

This plan will be for young Saudi people who lack specific skills to apply for certain jobs. The training plan, he said, was being given the final touches.

Facilitating training activities at the RCCI is considered one of the chamber’s most important tasks to develop the national workforce.

Al-Jeraisy added that the training center is responsible for the supervision and execution of all kinds of training activities.

It has been regularly holding training classes, lectures and programs for the unemployed.

The RCCI also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) and Savola Group to train Saudis for retail sector jobs.

Referring to the Ninth Development Plan approved by the Council of Ministers, Al-Jeraisy said developmental programs to be executed under the plan would create more job opportunities for Saudis.

Total development spending has reached SR1.44 trillion, an increase of 67 percent over the Eighth Plan.

The majority of spending has been allocated for human resources development, social development, health care, municipal services, housing, culture, transport and communications.

According to a report published by the Ministry of Planning, the private sector’s expected growth to 6.6 percent annually under the current development plan would create more job opportunities.

This is in addition to opportunities created by the opening of at least 117 new hospitals, 750 primary health care centers, 400 emergency centers, 25 colleges of technology, 28 higher technical institutes and 50 industrial training institutes as part of the plan.