JEDDAH — The private sector has employed over 466,000 women in the last Hijri year and this number has doubled compared to the number of employed women three years ago which was 203,000 said Abdul Minim Al-Shihri, deputy minister of labor for special programs. He added that the initiatives and programs of the ministry boosted the participation of women in the private sector and has helped increase the employment of women in the private sector. He noted that they have postponed the implementation of obliging business owners to employ women in some specific shops to provide the opportunity for them to prepare themselves and their locations to accept women. These shops include shops selling women traditional dresses, products for babies and mothers, perfumes, shoes, handbags as well as women cloths. The previous deadline for employing women in these shops was over a month ago. However the ministry decided to defer the implementation, Al-Shihri said. He further noted that they are still pressing on with field tours to ensure that women are provided with work environment that goes in line with their nature and that attracts them to work in the private sector. Al-Shihri added that they will focus on increasing the employment of women, and this includes providing distance jobs and enhancing work at home, in factories and providing part time jobs. This he said will help reduce the challenges faced by women in job environments. Further, he stressed, the importance of providing assistance services in factories and malls to help women work in them — including provision of transportation and nurseries. Al-Shijri was speaking at a session entitled "quality nationalization," at the Human Resources Forum held here this week. Speaking about the vacations that women can enjoy according to the new labor law he said that women can now get 10-week vacation period for delivery and that can be extended by one month, however the month will be determined as unpaid leave. A widow can get 4 months and 10 days vacation that is given to her by Shariah and this vacation can be extended if she is pregnant. The woman can also get 5 days break for her wedding and another 5 days in case of the death of a family member. In addition, each mother can chose breastfeeding hours of her choice.
