Job market for Saudi youths opens

A leading private sector establishment in the capital will provide a job market for thousands of Saudi jobseekers and prospective employers at its first ever exhibition to be held at the InterContinental Hotel in Riyadh on Wednesday. “We hope to find jobs for more than 30,000 Saudi men and women who are currently looking for suitable placements,” Amal Al-Othman, vice president of Prolinks Commercial Services, told reporters at a conference at Riyadh’s Ritz Carlton Hotel on Wednesday. The three-day show sponsored by Prolinks will provide a platform for employers and prospective employees to discuss and decide on their future vocations and prospects. She pointed out that there is a pressing demand for Saudi youths in most private sector establishments in the Kingdom. “The exhibition will allow two parties to meet and identify their needs,” Al-Othman said. Indicating the availability of a large number of vacancies in more than 150 companies such as Almarai, Maaden mining company and Al-Mutlaq, Al Othman said the database available at Prolinks would help young Saudis to fill vacancies instantly at the three-day show. “We have conducted a field study to identify jobseekers during the past eight months,” she noted. Al Anood Abu Al-Naja, chief executive officer of Prolinks, said the proposed exhibition is the beginning of her company’s efforts to help Saudis find suitable employment in the Kingdom. Al-Naja, who is also in charge of the Tawteen 2012 Exhibition, said the Tawteen project in the Kingdom had entered a new and important phase due the government’s current directives to provide more career opportunities to talented citizens. “It is a national duty and a social responsibility,” Al-Naja said, adding that the company would find suitable jobs for Saudis of both genders in different business sectors. She indicated that private sector companies and government institutes keen on hiring young Saudi nationals have reacted positively to the event. “We hope to conduct similar shows in 13 places throughout the Kingdom and embrace all unemployed Saudi male and female youths under the program,” she said. She said half of the available job opportunities were for Saudi university graduates and the remainder for high school graduates. The exhibition is to take place under the theme “Real Opportunities for Saudi Hands.” The event is being held with the support of private sector companies in the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Citing a field study conducted by a number of concerned companies and specialized bodies, Al-Naja said the rate of recruitment of Saudi nationals at private sector firms rose by 27 percent in 2011 compared to the previous year. The study also revealed that the financial crisis of 2009 impacted on the recruitment Saudi nationals, as many large companies tried to cut their employee numbers. “One such study showed that creative and talented Saudi nationals in the private sector increased by 12 percent in the current year, and companies started placing citizens in leading positions,” said Al-Naja. The recent royal decrees and official directives calling for the recruitment of young Saudis, she pointed out, had encouraged private and public organizations to rely on a solid database and to increase training budgets. Companies are starting to attract university graduates of various specialties, according to Al-Naja, reflecting their growing trust in recruiting young Saudis. There is also a growing awareness among them on the importance of working in the private sector to reach leadership positions.