Global food giant McDonald’s, which has a substantial presence in Saudi Arabia, has announced plans to hire 4,000 young Saudi men as part of its move to expand operations, eying in particular fresh graduates with an interest in the food sector, said Prince Mishaal bin Khaled Al-Saud, president of the Riyadh International Catering Company (RICC), on Thursday. The Saudi youngsters will be trained and employed by McDonald’s within 30 months from now, he added.
“As one of the country’s largest employers of young people, the company and its franchisees in Saudi Arabia are aiming to hire the largest number of youngsters they have ever attempted to hire in such a short period,” said Prince Mishaal, whose RICC is the franchisee of McDonald’s in the central, eastern and northern regions of the Kingdom.
Prince Mishaal was speaking on the sidelines of a suhoor party hosted by McDonald’s at the local Ritz Carlton Hotel here.
Asked about the details of the recruitment strategy, Prince Mishaal said that “McDonald’s would open 35 new outlets in the Kingdom in 2015.”
More outlets will be opened in the following year. The number of young Saudis manning McDonald’s restaurants will exceed 2,000 by the end of the current year itself, he explained.
“By 2016, McDonald’s will have on its payroll 4,000 Saudis, who will represent more than 35 percent of our total work force,” said Prince Mishaal, adding that the food retailer is working closely with the Ministry of Labor and the Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF) on enhancing nationalization.
“We have received a great deal of support and encouragement for our localization programs from Minister of Labor Adel Fakeih,” he noted.
McDonald’s to hire 4,000 Saudis
