limit has been fixed for women who are interested in working in factories and female accessory and lingerie shops, Minister of Labor Adel Fakieh clarified in a press statement issued Monday. He said the ministerial decision no: 2474/1/1, defining the principles for the quota of female Saudi workers, is the only decision in which a specific age is required for this group of jobseekers, and this is only for the purposes of the “Nitaqat Program”. He said that even this decision gives employers the right of employing this group without the need to define their age, unless they want to calculate the percentage of women working from home in the program. This was a precautionary condition set in order to prevent the abuse of the Nitaqat Program by those attempting bogus employment practices, the minister said, pointing out that this decision will be reviewed at a later date. He said that all decisions in this area are made to ensure the employment rights of women in a way that preserves their privacy and dignity, and that all job opportunities match the traditions of a conservative Saudi society and Islamic ethics. Meanwhile, to support Nitaqat, the Labor Ministry's renewed Saudization drive, a group of foreign companies, licensed by the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), have announced the launch of a unique online employment program for deserving Saudi women living in remote areas of the Kingdom. Saudi women with fairly good education and those living in isolated areas are encouraged to apply for the jobs. – SG/SPASAUDI females IN JOBS*n 78.3 percent of unemployed women are university graduates.n More than 1,000 have a doctorate degree.n Women currently represent around 30 percent of government employees. n Around 95 percent of working Saudi women are in the public sector: 85 percent in education, six percent in public health, and four percent in administration.n The number of Saudi women working in the private sector increased by 27 percent over two years, from 40,000 at the beginning of 2006 to 51,000 at the end of 2007.n The majority of Saudi women in the private sector are concentrated in urban areas: 39 percent in Riyadh region, 25 percent in Makkah region, 24 percent in the Eastern Province, five percent in Madina region, and only two percent in the regions of Al-Qassim and Assir.n Saudi women own 12 percent of the firms in the country and 16 percent of the large manufacturing firms.* Source: Based on an article in Saudi Gazette by Mona Al-Munajjed, a Saudi national based in Riyadh, who is presently a Senior Adviser with Booz & Company's Ideation Center, a leading think tank in the Middle East. Saudi Gazette infographics 2011 __
