RIYADH — The Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf) has contributed to the employment of 831,500 Saudi men and women in five years, according to a senior executive. Of the employed Saudis, 63% were men while 37% were women, said Hadaf's Deputy Executive Chairman Omar Malibari. He told the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Sunday that 52,400 Saudis, made up of 61 percent men and 39 percent women, were employed during the first quarter of the current year. Quoting figures released by the General Authority for Statistics, Malibari said that unemployment rate, which was 12.4 percent in 2011, dropped to 11.5 percent in 2015. He said more than 100,000 Saudi men and women have benefitted from the fund's electronic training platform which is offering training and qualification in 25 various vocational sectors. "The electronic platform, named Diroub (roads), is preparing Saudis for the labor market," he added. Malibari said through 120 branches and employment centers scattered all over the Kingdom, the fund is providing job seekers with vocational guidance and training. Hadaf is also paying unemployment allowance for a year. It is also paying half of the salaries of Saudi men and women teachers in private schools.
