Issues facing employment of Saudi women in industrial sector need to be sorted out

Fatima Muhammad Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Abdulminim Al-Shihri, the deputy minister of labor in charge of special programs, noted that the ministry has established 7 centers in different regions that will implement the strategy of women working from a distance. Speaking to Saudi Gazette on the sidelines of the 6th Jeddah Industrial Forum, he said they are working in cooperation with various government bodies to start an online market where productive families can display their products. Meanwhile, the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that it has signed an agreement with the ministry of labor to employ 5,000 women in factories. There are now 47 women working in the industrial sector. Badriya Al-Sadhan, manager of "Kafu" program, noted that there are a number of issues that need to be handled by investors and the ministry of labor to ease the employment of women in the industrial sector. The most pressing issues, she noted, are transportation, absence of nurseries, lack of training and low wages. Such issues, she added, are the main cause for the high turnover rate in this sector. Addressing investors in the industrial sector, she called on investors not to consider female sections as "black boxes" where they are unaware of what goes inside them. "There must be a transparent strategy, go to them and see what are their concerns and demands." The Saudi Ministry of Trade and Industry noted that the investment in non-oil sector has increased by three times within the last two years. The total amount of investment adds up to 807 billions and constitute 27% of investments in Saudi. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah Province and adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, announced "youth in the industrial sector" intuitive which aims at supporting youth and their innovations so they can start their small businesses in this sector. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, Minister of Commerce and Industry, noted that they have speeded up the processes of getting a new online record and the registration of trade marks, this he said increased the number of applications by 42%. Speaking at the 6th Jeddah Industrial Forum, he disclosed that there are 34 industrial cities in Saudi Arabia and added that the industrial area in Jeddah is 20 million square meters, and there are now 640 factory in Jeddah. He added that there are also 604 factories that are ready for investment. The Deputy Minister For Industrial Affairs Saleh Al-Sulami noted that it is about to finalize an database information center that will serve both researchers and investors in this sector.