WUNRN
http://www.wunrn.com
 
http://www.gulfinthemedia.com/index.php?id=309746&news_type=Top&lang=en
Saudi Government to Create More Job Opportunities for Women   

Khaleej Times - 12 May, 2007

The percentage of women in the Saudi work force is expected to more than double from 5.4 per cent to 14.2 per cent by the end of the Eighth Five-Year Development Plan (2005-2009), according to Economy and Planning Minister Khaled Al Gosaibi.

Al Gosaibi said that the Eighth Plan aims to improve the situation of Saudi women by providing them with more business and job opportunities, and added that the number of working women in the kingdom is very small compared to other countries. He added that the number of women graduates has outnumbered their male counterparts, as girls constitute 56.5 per cent of the total number of graduates in recent years. These graduates must be given adequate opportunities and incentives.

The plan, which was approved by the Cabinet in November 2005, places greater emphasis on the potential role of women in the economy and the need to create more employment opportunities for them. It also identifies ways to achieve such participation by upgrading the capabilities of Saudi women, and removing obstacles that constrain their increased participation in economic and development activities.

The plan perceives an increased share of the national work force in total manpower (both employed and unemployed) from 36.9 per cent in 2004 to 39.2 per cent in 2009, along with continued efforts to raise women’s participation rate from 10.3 per cent at the beginning of the plan to 14.2 per cent by the end of the plan.

The plan has envisaged two particular objectives relevant to women’s empowerment. The first is to strengthen the family by maintaining Arab and Islamic values, providing adequate care to family members and creating conditions that are conducive to the development of capabilities and talents for each member of a family. The second goal is to increase women’s participation in various fields, both within the family and at work, by providing greater opportunities for decision-making and by adopting approaches that lead to the empowerment of women in terms of education, health and employment.

The current statistics of the labour market by nationality (Saudis versus non-Saudis) indicate that 32.6 per cent of the national workers are employed in service jobs, while 39 per cent of non-Saudis are employed in the production and transportation sectors, with 28.4 per cent of non-Saudis working in the service sectors.

Presently, Saudi women are extensively employed in the educational and health sectors, leaving other productive sectors, particularly in the private sector, to the domination of men.

According to a report by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the lack of optimum employment of human resources, including women, has led to the increased reliance on foreign manpower.

The report called for strong labour market structures to channel the work force to the most productive sectors of the economy with more dependence on the local work force.

“There is a need for national planners to decide the ideal mix of economic sectors ... to become a diversified economic base that does not rely on oil and natural gas,” the report said.
 
 




================================================================
To leave the list, send your request by email to: wunrn_listserve-request@lists.wunrn.com. Thank you.