ABHA, 25 October 2007 — A two-day seminar on employment concluded yesterday at the King Abdul Aziz Center in the southern city of Abha. The seminar, entitled “Job Opportunities and Employment: A Dialogue Between the Community,” was organized as part of the Seventh National Dialogue Forum.
More than 100 experts, who included university professors, businessmen and women, and university students, discussed issues relating to work culture, labor regulations, the role of the private sector in providing job opportunities, the role of labor committees and employment of women. They also discussed the negative impact of unemployment on society, the economy and security.
Faisal ibn Muammar, secretary-general of the King Abdul Aziz Dialogue Center, said, “The meeting aims to create an opportunity for dialogue between society and job providers on issues related to unemployment. There has to be cooperation between organizations of both the governmental and the private sectors to learn about the demands of the labor market.”
The suggestions made in the course of the meeting underscored the needs of Saudi women in entering new areas of work. Hessa Al-Shaie, an educational supervisor, said: “We heard a lot about decisions taken in favor of women’s employment. But they are not applied yet” she said.
Laila Sherbini, a businesswoman and a member of the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the issue of increasing the participation of women in the field of media could be solved by providing training courses to help them. She also urged the authorities to open the field of tourism to women.
Dr. Madeha Al-Agroushy, a businesswoman, spoke about the difficulties faced by women because of the restrictions imposed by the Kingdom’s mahram (legal guardian) system. “Women are not even allowed to enter ministries or other offices without a legal guardian,” she said.
Nora Mahdi, a businesswoman, said, “People who own hair salons are asked to employ Saudis, while Saudi women still look down on such jobs. So what is the solution?” She also discussed the issue of women’s IDs. “What is the use of having own ID cards if women can’t do anything without a male guardian,” she said.
