Following the footsteps of the ministries of Education and Health, the Ministry of Labor intends to employ women in key positions, sources at the ministry were quoted by Al-Watan newspaper recently. The sources added that the ministry had concluded its planned restructuring to accommodate women in key positions at its 33 labor offices distributed in 13 regions. The ministry is also launching 13 new initiatives to help Saudi women jobseekers find employment in different companies and sections of the private sector. Dr Fahd Al-Tekhaifi, assistant undersecretary at the Ministry of Labor for Planning, said the ministry is currently working in the final stages of these initiatives which include a code of ethics governing the dealing of the employees among themselves and rules for the protection of the female and male employees in the work environment from immoral practices pointing out that the code and rules include clear definitions of any form of abuse, and allow targeted employees to seek retribution. He said these initiatives also aim at ensuring all means of comfort for women working in jobs provided and secured by the ministry pointing out that there will be special sections for women working in factories. Labor regulations prevent mingling of the genders in factories and offices to safeguard women's privacy.
