The 3rd Saudi Exhibition for Recruitment and Rehabilitation held this week in Abha concluded with over 2,000 prospective job candidates visiting the fair. Considered a success, more than 1,600 job seekers applied for work at the fair for three days, including 400 women.

The event was organized by the Abha Chamber of Commerce and Industry at Prince Sultan Cultural Center in Khamis Mushayt.

During the exhibition’s opening, the authorities highlighted the efforts being made to help human resources development in the area, as well as the extensive amount of aid poured into the region to help the youth overcome unemployment.

According to Abha Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Abdullah bin Saeed Almobti, last year’s exhibition helped more than 2,000 young men and women find employment. Almobti added that the chamber was working on drafting a methodology to localize jobs and opportunities for Asir residents.

During the exhibition, many companies presented a wide array of job vacancies in different fields, like engineering, marketing, administration, reception and concierge services and health, among many other sectors. For those who needed more time to decide, Almobti added that a comprehensive list of available job vacancies was handed to visitors during the event.

According to organizers, there was a clear difference in job preferences between men and women at the fair. Men favored jobs in construction contracting, industrial engineering, marketing, accounting and management, while women showed a preference for telecommuting sales as well as marketing, accounting and management jobs.

Abha chamber’s database shows that the total number of job applicants stood at 11,000. Abha chamber president added that the exhibition gives these job seekers the opportunity to follow up on vacancies in the market.

The job fair underscored women’s readiness to take on new challenges when it comes to job opportunities. During the exhibition, some of the female applicants expressed their desire to explore nontraditional jobs, rather than the regular women work positions they have been pigeonholed in.

With young women applying for jobs in over 30 companies at the exhibition, Jawaher Al-Qahtani, a linguistics graduate, stressed that schools and hospitals cannot absorb the large number of women graduates every year. “Telecommuting working opportunities can be a solution to this problem, as well as opening new production lines in factories and bakeries,” Al-Qahtani added.