JEDDAH: Deputy Labor and Social Development Minister Ahmed Al-Humaidan said that the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 gives a significant emphasis to the Saudi woman and her leading role in both social and developmental areas.

Al-Humaidan added that women were capable of achieving success and excellence through a range of available opportunities that illustrate their aptitude and value-added accomplishments with their participation in the labor market.

During his speech at the opening of Success Stories Forum for Women’s Work held at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), Al-Humaidan said the forum would explore a number of success stories by women which are testimony to, and proof of, shouldering their responsibilities so well.

The deputy minister cited women working in commercial centers, factories, schools and other areas including the total Saudization of the telecom sector as achievements that can be passed down to the women who follow them.

Al-Humaidan highlighted a number of challenges the government faces in the empowerment of women in the labor market. These include creating a suitable work environment, stressing the ministry’s efforts to overcome obstacles and reducing the unemployment rate among Saudi women, besides providing decent jobs for both Saudi men and women.

In reference to a large number of men and women joining the labor market, Al-Humaidan said: “This poses a grave challenge for the annual employment of not less than 400,000 Saudis. We must provide proper job opportunities in terms of wages and working environments as the government sector has taken the largest number of workers.”

He pointed out that the ministry’s role remained in gradually absorbing the number of Saudi nationals in sync with the TVTC programs and employers’ incentives, encouraging them to activate their national role to employ Saudis and attract those with high skills by supplying employee benefit packages.

The deputy minister reaffirmed that the ministry had exerted unswerving efforts to provide employment for both Saudi men and women. It has also studied the causes of joblessness along with analyzing issues to initiate solutions. He added that the ministry believed in untraditional solutions to employ Saudis by taking into account the conditions of job seekers and it is expected that women will benefit from the remote work program.

In a related development, Abdul Munim Al-Shehri, assistant deputy minister for special programs at the ministry, submitted a working paper titled "Empower Women At Work" focusing on the conditions and regulations of working women. Al-Shehri addressed the importance of women engagement in work and the leadership’s concern to widen the opportunities as part of the priorities of areas pertaining to the feminization of work.

Al-Shehri reiterated that the ministry’s strategic vision comprised several initiatives of qualitative nature that increase the participation of women in the economic development alongside the labor market.

Such moves would be achievable through the provision of job opportunities and a working environment that is attractive, motivated and safe for women, protecting their privacy and rights, he said. It would achieve economic growth for the productive parties including both the female worker and employer, he added.

Along with the forum’s agenda, Al-Shehri said that the ministry was working on the development and support of female cadres in order to meet the requirements of employers. It ensures enabling female job seekers to take up productive and sustainable jobs while the presence of proper working environments maintains their privacy and rights to work through necessary regulations and mechanisms, he explained.

The assistant deputy minister mentioned that the ministry will unveil new plans to support women’s employment through a wide range of possibilities, such as developing feminization of sectors, part-time work, baby care centers, transportation and feminization of shopping malls.