The three-day event at the Madareem Crown Hotel, dubbed as the first Saudi exhibition for employment and training, aims to create more job opportunities for thousands of young Saudis entering the labor market every year and to curb the growing dependence on foreign workers, numbering more than 8.5 million according to estimates.
“The government will give priority to Saudi jobseekers and added incentives to all employers hiring local men and women and disabled Saudi nationals within the framework of its policy and plans,” said Al-Bawardi.
The fair, organized by the Council of Saudi Chambers in cooperation with several public and private sector organizations, will offer at least 5,000 jobs.
On the fair’s first day, more than 250 face-to-face interviews were held, while jobseekers submitted a large number of job applications.
Al-Bawardi claimed that the number of foreign workers would be reduced in a staggered fashion. He added that this reduction would be in proportion to the projected increase in qualified Saudi workers. Al-Bawardi expected the labor market in the Kingdom to change dynamically, especially among high-income jobs, in light of the 30,000 Saudis expected to graduate from prominent universities around the world by 2015.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s vice chairman Saad I. Al-Mojel lauded the efforts of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah who, he said, had “exerted commendable efforts for education and training of Saudi nationals”.
He called on government agencies and private sector organizations to use local products and services more as this would help in creating more jobs for Saudis.
Referring to the need to create more jobs, Al-Mojel said that the Kingdom’s drive toward industrial diversification aims to achieve several objectives, including increased employment opportunities for young Saudis. He said that the job fair was a commendable initiative.
“The fair was designed to deliver a value-based service for both employers and jobseekers,” he added. Some of the 55 companies participating in the fair include the National Guard, Maaden BAE Systems, Zahid Group, Nama Group, Al-Hokair Group, Alfanar Company, Centerpoint, Excellent Solutions and Kawader Altanmiah.
