BRJ backs move to employ women in retail sector

Bab Rizq Jameel (BRJ), a social responsibility by initiative by Abdul Latif Jameel Group, has welcomed Monday's decision by the Ministry of Labor to provide job opportunities for women at shops catering to women. Rola Basamed, BRJ director in Jeddah, said the organization’s offices around the Kingdom are coordinating with employers, the Labor Ministry and the Human Resources Development Fund to create hundreds of job opportunities every month. She praised the ministry for insisting on creating the right environment for women through providing security or other supportive services, saying Saudi women need to feel secure in the workplace. According to Basamed, an important factor in empowering workingwomen is making families feel confident that the work environment is suitable for their daughters. This includes provisions for transportation. Basamed believes that hiring women at shops catering to women would increase incomes for businesses, taking into consideration that women prefer to buy intimate apparel from women. The pilot employment projects carried out by the BRJ in cooperation with companies have been highly successful. Basamed said: "Every new experience has its pros and cons. Our role is to maximize pros and find solutions for cons. We are so pleased with the work-from-home initiative, which will provide new opportunities for women who want to join the workforce but they are unable to leave their homes. Prior to this decision, women used to work from home without any guarantees. Now they will be able to work with confidence." According to Basamed, the female employment center at BRJ, through its website www.babrizqjameel.com, is working hard to assist companies and factories to implement the ministry’s decision. During the first half of 2011, BRJ branches throughout the Kingdom have created more than 18,000 jobs for Saudi women.