Women made up 65 percent of all job applicants at the Saudi Jobs Fair in Jeddah recently, according to the organizers.

Saleh Al-Ghamdi, who organized the fair on behalf of private and public sector agencies, said the percentage was from 5,137 applicants, out of 6,000 visitors.

The organizers included the Ministry of Labor, Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), King Abdulaziz University, General Authority of Civil Aviation, the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation and the Council of Saudi Chambers. The organizers plan job fairs for Riyadh and Dammam soon.

Al-Ghamdi said, “This is a commitment to our beloved nation, a reflection of our social responsibility to share and tackle the unemployment problem among our sons and daughters.”

He said 75 top companies participated and urged others to fulfill their Islamic duty by doing the same.

He said the HRDF would pay 50 percent of the salaries of new graduates who are selected for jobs but do not have experience.

Al-Ghamdi said the companies offered a wide range of jobs including legal and sales positions. In addition, several hotels in Jeddah recruited a number of Saudi women for administrative and accounting posts.

Salaries start at SR3,000 but the “sky is the limit for suitable candidates,” he said.

Fatima Ahmed, a Saudi job seeker, said she was happy to find so many employers under one roof and applied for eight different jobs in one day. She had previously struggled to move around the city to apply for work, she said.

Sultan Al-Qanab, a radio broadcaster, and Mamdouh Al-Khudairi, a skills development expert, conducted workshops on presentation skills for candidates.