Fatima Muhammad

Saudi Gazette



The Ministry of Labor (MOL) is to start its third phase of employing women in shops selling female products next year. The third phase includes replacing salesmen with Saudi saleswomen in shops selling: female perfumes, women traditional dresses, shoes, bags, socks, cloths, materials and mother care products.



Fahad Al-Tukaifi, assistant undersecretary for private programs, said: “Here at the JCCI they are implementing a royal order to employ women and they are seeking the cooperation of all. All shops selling women only products will have to adhere to the employment of women, what comes first is, however, what we have been deciding has been based on circumstances. Therefore, we started with lingerie and makeup and left materials for the third phase.”



The two phases of employing women include lingerie, beauty shops, evening dresses, wedding dresses, abayas and accessories, Al-Tukaifi said, adding that businessmen are thrilled to see women working at shops at airports and in factories. However the ministry does not oblige them to employ women.



He added that they any sector that want to participate in this national campaign of employment of Saudi women would be welcome. However, they need to first prepare the environment for women according to the ministry rules. He noted that factories have started to prefer women employees over expatriates.



The ministry is working on evaluating the first two phases and benefit from the experience. Further they will also work on a database that will record all women working and the types of women products at shops.



The Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF), meanwhile, will prevent any Saudi women, who manipulates the system, from getting financial support, this includes either not coming to work or dealing with an expatriate woman who attends instead of her. The woman will be banned from the HRDF support first for three years and five years if the same violation is repeated.



Tayseer Al-Mufarraj, the head of the media center at the MOL stated that the total number of women who benefited from Hafiz add up to 852,000. However, only 167,000 have worked after registering in the program.



He also said article 149 of the labor laws bans women from working in dangerous jobs. These jobs are those harmful to the health, such as working in mining and industries where some substances are being transformed, working in generating power, sewage system, gas and oil industries. The system also bans women from working during evening hours except for exceptions from the minister.



Among the main challenges facing employing women, the ministry said: Preparing the job environment for women, working hours, transportation, day care centers, social stigma, and lack of knowing regulations among some owners. The ministry is working with the HRDF and the TVTC to develop programs that shall reduce these challenges.



Al-Mufarraj said the ministry has worked on setting up number of plans and decisions that will enhance the employment of Saudi women. This has “immensely” increased the number of women working in the private sector. It has also opened new opportunities, as previously women were limited to jobs in education and health sectors. “This has allowed the employment of females in women products shops, as well as employing women in industry jobs that are suitable for them. Other programs include working from home and supporting productive families

The opening for new opportunities has helped women move from being cashiers to doing technical jobs and then moving to leading positions. The ministry ensures that the environment provided for the women is “suitable” regardless of the job they are doing. This includes providing a section for women separated from men.



The ministry gives special privileges to the private establishments that employ Saudis “regardless of their gender.” The conditions restricting the financial support given to these establishments are based on the total scale of the salaries given to Saudis as well as the advancement of the zone of the company.Khadija Bint Kuwaylid Center study



Khadija Bint Kuwaylid Center at the JCCI conducted a study on the Saudi women’s participate in the national development in 2013. The study had 3,004 individuals of both genders who were 18 years old and above. About 90% of women in the sample agree that women’s participation in the workforce has a positive effect in the development of the national development, while 79% of men in the same survey agreed with the statement.



According to the study 43% of the female job seekers are between the age of 25 and 34 years old. This compared to only 10% of women who are above 45 years old and are looking for jobs.



A total of 73% of women prefer part time jobs, 47% do not mind working in mixed environments. Up to 48% of the women included in the survey use private drivers to reach their work, while 30% of them do not receive transportation allowance from their employers.