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Job seekers in private sector urged patience

JEDDAH: The unemployment rate among Saudi women increased by two percent from 24.9 percent in February 2008 to 26.9 percent in August 2008, Deputy Labor Minister Abdul Wahid Al-Humaid said yesterday.

"As a result of this increase overall unemployment rate in the Kingdom rose from 9.8 to 10 percent in August 2008," he told the Saudi Press Agency. However, the unemployment rate among Saudi men declined from 6.9 to 6.8 percent during the same period.

He urged Saudis looking for jobs in the private sector to have necessary patience and a willingness to work hard. "Being a profit-seeking sector, it will not employ those who are not productive and disciplined," the minister said.

He stressed the importance of developing a work culture among Saudi youth. "When you look at work with a productive perspective rather than just a source of income, the unemployment problem would be reduced to a great extent," he said.

Al-Humaid also spoke about the new Saudi employment strategy, which is being studied by an experts committee at the Council of Ministers, adding that it would facilitate employment of Saudis.

"The unemployment problem is basically among women," he said. "For Saudi men intending to have jobs in the private sector there are many opportunities and it's easy to find jobs for them."

He said unemployment among women was mainly because of social customs. "The private sector finds it difficult to employ women under the present social circumstances," he pointed out.

Most unemployed women are highly qualified with 78.3 percent of them being university graduates. On the other hand, 76 percent of unemployed men have secondary education or less.

Al-Humaid pointed out that the unemployment rate declined from 11.2 percent in August 2007 to 10 percent in August 2008.

Speaking about the age group of the unemployed, the minister said 46.3 percent of them were between 20 and 24, adding that some found it difficult to acclimatize to the private sector job environment while some others wanted higher salaries.

Lack of adequate skills and a dearth of patience to gain experience were other reasons for the unemployment of this group.

"We can effectively assist unemployed men to get jobs in the private sector by providing them with necessary training, with the support of the Manpower Development Fund (MDF) and Technical and Vocational Training Corporation," he said.

Al-Humaid said the ministry could provide them with free training in coordination with MDF and give them remunerations until they obtain necessary skills and suitable jobs.

The deputy minister praised Abdul Latif Jameel Company and Centennial Fund for their contributions toward training and employing Saudis. He said the Labor Ministry was concerned with creating jobs for Saudis in the private sector, adding that finding jobs in the public sector was beyond its jurisdiction.

"The Labor Ministry alone will not be able to solve the unemployment problem. It requires joint efforts of families, schools, individuals and social institutions," he added.

By P.K. Abdul Ghafour

© Arab News 2009