JEDDAH: In a move to increase its number of women employees, the Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday a raft of job vacancies for women international relations researchers and clerks at the women’s section of its branch in Makkah province.
Applicants for the post of researcher should have a bachelors degree either in political science or international relations or public relations experience, with English language an advantage, an official statement said. Women applicants for clerical posts should have a diploma in secretarial work or in computers and should be comfortable using computer systems. The ministry will hold interviews for short-listed candidates.
The deadline for applications is Jan. 30. The ministry will not accept any applications directly. Candidates should check the ministry’s websites to find out the date of interview.
The ministry did not say how many job vacancies it has for women, although it is aimed at reducing rising unemployment rates among the Kingdom’s women population.
According to one report, there were 182,987 jobless women, including graduates, in the Kingdom in 1428 (2007-8), putting unemployment among women at 27 percent.
Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed, chairman of Asharqia Chamber, emphasized the need to adopt a strategy to make full use of women’s capabilities. “The work of women is more valuable than the money they possess because they represent half of the population and their active participation in economic activities is essential,” he said.
“Statistics show that about 82,000 women graduates are jobless,” he added. He also pointed out that Saudi women’s contribution to economic activity was much less than expected.
He noted Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s initiative to increase job opportunities for women. Most of the government initiatives to improve employment rates among women have not yet been implemented.
The Cabinet called for the setting up of a higher committee about seven years ago to create more job opportunities for women. It also encouraged the establishment of women-only enterprises and factories.
The Labor Ministry’s office in Dammam on Tuesday announced its intention to issue 3,000 licenses for women in order to enable them to work from home. A statement from the office said 51,451 Saudi women have been employed in the private sector.
Spokesman for the ministry Hattab Al-Anazi emphasized the importance of creating more jobs that help women to work from home, adding that doing so would suit their domestic situation.
“The ministry has set up a new department to monitor the employment of women,” he added.
The ministry’s officials have held meetings with representatives of private companies in order to encourage them to employ women. “Some big companies have already opened women’s sections inside their headquarters and branches,” Al-Anazi said.
Nashwa Taher, a prominent businesswoman, accused many companies of obstructing the employment of women.
