Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday commended the outcome of the Nitaqat program. “It was successful in creating more jobs for Saudi men and women,” the king said in a cable to Labor Minister Adel Fakeih.
“As a result of Nitaqat, 250,000 Saudis were employed in less than a year. Before introducing the system in Shawwal 1432H, it took five years to create such numbers of jobs for Saudis,” the king said while praising the ministry’s achievements.
Nitaqat also helped 54,000 women get jobs within seven months. “A total of 71,000 women got jobs ever since the employment of women began in the private sector,” the king said. He also noted the rise in the number of companies in Green and Premium categories and decline in the number of those in Red and Yellow categories as a result of employing more Saudis.
Fakeih had earlier sent a cable to King Abdullah explaining the program’s outstanding achievements and commending the king’s directives to create suitable job opportunities for Saudis. Fakeih appreciated the king’s unlimited support to train and employ Saudis in the private sector.
