Saudi Arabia’s Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) announced it has provided 288,000 male and female citizens with jobs in the private sector during the first three quarters of 2023.
The employment assistance is part of the HRDF’s multi-faceted program that involves qualifying, training, and empowering Saudi nationals. It also seeks to enhance the participation of Saudi citizens in the labor market. This falls in line with national initiatives and efforts to achieve nationalization.
Supporting small and medium enterprises
Turki Al-Jaouini, director of Saudi Arabia’s HRDF, said that the new strategy launched in the first quarter of this year was accompanied by a redesign of HRDF’s programs and services. This has further enhanced its collaboration with partners in the private sector.
Additionally, it significantly contributed to supporting 97,000 establishments, 89 percent of which were small and medium-sized enterprises operating in all vital sectors of the kingdom.
He lauded “the generous support provided by Saudi’s leaders for the development of the country’s human capital. This has in turn enabled the fund to launch various initiatives and provide incentives.”
According to Al-Jaouini, the fund has also been successful in developing the skills of Saudi nationals. Thus, this enables them to qualify for jobs in the private sector.
HRDF and the private sector
Al-Jaouini stressed the importance of strengthening the role of HRDF in meeting the needs of the labor market. He highlighted the importance of improving its efficiency and staying up to date with developments. He also emphasized the need to understand the needs and priorities of the private sector.
In light of this, HRDF has been developing programs and services to provide the necessary training and guidance that will empower Saudi nationals. “These initiatives are aligned with Saudi’s Vision 2030 and its goals of developing human capabilities and enhancing the labor market strategy,” he continued.
He further highlighted “the fund’s eagerness to develop its strategic relationship with various private sector establishments and to listen to their ideas and suggestions. It allows us to benefit from opportunities for development and empowerment. This ultimately enhances the growth of the national economy and raises Saudization rates.”
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SAR10 billion for Saudization programs
Meanwhile, the Saudi Minister of Human Resources, Ahmed Al-Rajhi, had previously announced that “the Ministry intends to implement 30 new nationalization programs this year. We will have a specific criteria for selecting nationalized professions.”
Al-Rajhi made the announcement on the sidelines of the International Government Communication Forum, where he also revealed that 32 Saudization initiatives previously announced have created more than 200,000 jobs in 2021.
“The number of Saudis in the labor market reached over one million and 900 thousand young men and women. This is an unprecedented historical number. The number of Saudis who enter the labor market yearly for the first time reached 400,000 young men and women. Moreover, the huge projects taking place in the Kingdom will create one million and 800 thousand additional job opportunities” he stated.
He revealed that SAR10 billion was spent to support the employment of Saudis in the private sector last year. Additionally, he confirmed that the private sector’s commitment to nationalized professions reached 95 percent.
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