“The retail sector is one of the major sectors that can absorb a large number of Saudi jobseekers,” he said.

Opening a workshop on “Opportunities and Challenges in the Retail Sector,” the minister said a number of decisions would be issued shortly to employ a substantial number of young Saudis in the sector. However, he added that new decisions would be taken only after meetings with representatives of the private sector.

He said the number of Saudi dropouts from jobs in the retail sector is comparatively low because of the good salaries and benefits they receive.

“We have a plan to link issuance of recruitment visas to a company with its Saudization performance,” he added.

Unemployment among Saudi men and women is one of the major challenges of Saudi Arabia.

The government has been allocating more than a quarter of its budget for education and training during the past several years. This year’s allocation is put at SR150 billion, or 26 percent of the country’s largest budget in history with spending projected at a record SR580 billion.

Unemployment among Saudis is hovering around 10 percent according to the most recent Labor Ministry estimations, with youth unemployment as much as four times greater than that in other age brackets. Of the country’s indigenous population of 18.5 million, 47 percent are 18 years old or younger.