Today when we celebrate a distinguished status amongst other nations, we should pay homage to our founder King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, (may God rest his soul) whose long vision, astuteness and modesty have paved the way to the building of a nation that is respected and admired by friends and foes alike.

It has always been the creed of this nation's wise leadership to bring forth development and prosperity to its people, and the recent labor laws and programs, which aim to provide decent jobs for the sons and daughters of this nation, are yet another testimony of our leadership's commitment to the welfare and social security of the nation.

We at the Saudi Ministry of Labor take this prideful occasion as a stepping stone to reach higher achievements where decisions are made and programs are launched with the purpose of creating better working conditions and generating attractive employment opportunities to the sons and daughters of this great nation while constantly refining and enhancing their skills and performance.

The ministry is also committed to continuing its efforts in regulating and improving the labor relationship between workers and employers in an equitable manner that strikes a balance between their mutual interests.

Under the patronage and following the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, (may God protect him) the ministry plans to uplift labor productivity, heighten social protection levels and create decent working environment for the benefit of all stakeholders.

The recent royal initiation of the Hafiz program (job seeker allowance program) and the insurance policy for temporary unemployment are the building blocks of a new labor market that is expected to be more solid yet resilient to accommodate the changes in market needs.

Other building blocks include Nitaqat, an innovative program to incentivize private sector entities to recruit national work force and the royal decrees regulating women's working conditions. The ministry has other initiatives in the pipeline and will gradually announce them along the remaining period of this year and unto the year to come, God willing.

These building blocks will further strengthen the Saudi labor market and bear fruits to all citizens alike who, once trained and rehabilitated, can claim their rightful share of job opportunities.

Let today's celebration become an opportunity to translate our aspirations into real life achievements and contribute to the making of a brighter future for this nation and its offspring.

We praise Allah for all His givings; may He provide us with the much-needed strength to fulfill the duties that are entrusted upon us.