Shoppers walk past clothing stores in the Kingdom Centre shopping mall in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia, has asked malls, supermarkets and restaurants and cafes to hire more citizens as it looks to boost jobs. Bloomberg
Shoppers walk past clothing stores in the Kingdom Centre shopping mall in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia, has asked malls, supermarkets and restaurants and cafes to hire more citizens as it looks to boost jobs. Bloomberg
Shoppers walk past clothing stores in the Kingdom Centre shopping mall in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia, has asked malls, supermarkets and restaurants and cafes to hire more citizens as it looks to boost jobs. Bloomberg
Shoppers walk past clothing stores in the Kingdom Centre shopping mall in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia, has asked malls, supermarkets and restaurants and cafes to hire more citizens as it looks to boost jobs.

Economy

Saudi Arabia to create 51,000 jobs from localisation of professions in malls and supermarkets

The kingdom is expanding its non-oil economy to boost employment of citizens

Sarmad Khan
Sarmad Khan
Abu Dhabi

April 11, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

Saudi Arabia, the Arab world’s biggest economy, asked malls, supermarkets and restaurants and cafes to increase the percentage of citizens hired, as it looks to create jobs and reduce unemployment.

A set of three new decisions issued by Ahmed bin Suleiman Al Rajhi, the kingdom's Minister for Human Resources and Social Development, will provide 51,000 jobs for Saudi men and women, the official news agency SPA reported on Wednesday.

The first decision limits work to Saudis in all activities and professions in malls and malls' management offices, “with the exception of a limited number of activities and professions”.

A second directive governs the increase in the rate of localisation in restaurants and cafes. A third decision addresses the percentage of local hiring in supermarkets “in accordance with the definitions, professions, ratios, stages and requirements specified in the procedural guide issued with the decision”, according to the report.

“Commercial establishments should adhere to the decisions issued, in order to avoid penalties against violators."

Creating jobs is one of the central planks of the Vision 2030, the kingdom’s economic and social transformation programme. The country is expanding its industrial base and developing new sectors including tourism and the entertainment, which Riyadh hopes will create jobs for its citizens and attract foreign direct investment.

The kingdom aims to reduce unemployment to 7 per cent and increase women’s participation in the workforce to 30 per cent by 2030.

The overall unemployment rate in the kingdom – Saudis and non-Saudis above 15 years of age – fell to 7.4 per cent during the last four months of 2020, from 8.5 per cent recorded in the third quarter of last year, according to the General Authority for Statistics data carried by SPA last month.

Unemployment among Saudi citizens fell to 12.6 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2020 from 14.9 per cent in the third quarter.

The unemployment rate of Saudi males reached 7.1 per cent in the fourth quarter, down from 7.9 per cent in the previous quarter, while unemployment among Saudi females fell to 24.4 per cent from 30.2 per cent for the same period, according to official data.

____________

Lulu opens first Saudi Arabia store fully staffed by women - in pictures

An employee adds price tags to merchandise at a hypermarket run entirely by a team of women, in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah. AFP
An employee adds price tags to merchandise at a hypermarket run entirely by a team of women, in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah. AFP
Retail group Lulu opened its first store fully staffed by women in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. AFP
Retail group Lulu opened its first store fully staffed by women in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. AFP
The shop near King Abdul Aziz University has a staff of 103 Saudi women. AFP
The shop near King Abdul Aziz University has a staff of 103 Saudi women. AFP
The hypermarket covers an area of about 3,500 square metres. AFP
The hypermarket covers an area of about 3,500 square metres. AFP
The store run by women is the 20th branch of the Lulu Group in the kingdom. AFP
The store run by women is the 20th branch of the Lulu Group in the kingdom. AFP
In line with Covid-19 safety and protocols, the store only permits entry with those who have downloaded the Tawakkalna app. AFP
In line with Covid-19 safety and protocols, the store only permits entry with those who have downloaded the Tawakkalna app. AFP
The Lulu Group currently employs 3,000 Saudis, including 800 women. AFP
The Lulu Group currently employs 3,000 Saudis, including 800 women. AFP
The retailer has opened more than 200 across the Gulf since 2000. AFP
The retailer has opened more than 200 across the Gulf since 2000. AFP
The new branch focuses primarily on organic products with a diverse collection of healthy food options, reports say. AFP
The new branch focuses primarily on organic products with a diverse collection of healthy food options, reports say. AFP
An employee serves a customer at the hypermarket. AFP
An employee serves a customer at the hypermarket. AFP
The hypermarket is part of efforts to empower more Saudi women in the workforce, LuLu officials say. AFP
The hypermarket is part of efforts to empower more Saudi women in the workforce, LuLu officials say. AFP
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2.30pm: Dubai Creek Tower – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Marmara Xm, Gary Sanchez (jockey), Abdelkhir Adam (trainer)

3pm: Al Yasmeen – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: AS Hajez, Jesus Rosales, Khalifa Al Neyadi

3.30pm: Al Ferdous – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Soukainah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout

4pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah – Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: AF Thayer, Ray Dawson, Ernst Oertel

4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup – Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: George Villiers, Antonio Fresu, Bhupat Seemar

5pm: Palma Spring – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Es Abu Mousa, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud

Things Heard & Seen

Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton

2/5

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

EconomySaudi Arabia