Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — Bab Rizq Jameel (BRJ), an initiative of Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives (ALJCI), set a new record in helping create job opportunities for Saudi men and women in 2014. The program created 75,030 job opportunities last year, which is a 10 percent increase compared with 2013, the company said in a press release. Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, president of ALJCI, expressed his appreciation and gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz, deputy premier and minister of defense, and Deputy Crown Prince and Second Deputy Premier Prince Muqrin Bin Abdulaziz, as well as the Saudi government, for the unlimited support the BRJ received in its endeavor to create jobs through programs designed and implemented in accordance with the requirements of the labor market and Saudi job seekers. Unverified figures showed that 52,244 jobs were created for women through BRJ's female branches, representing 70 percent of the total job opportunities created during 2014. This was against 22,786 job opportunities for males. Abdulrahman Al-Fehaid, executive director of BRJ Saudi Arabia, said the number of female job seekers, especially in stores that sell women's supplies, has exceeded available opportunities in the past year. He mentioned the trust of Saudi companies and establishments in BRJ to introduce female candidates for the available job opportunities. Rola Basamad, senior general director BRJ Female Recruitment, said the largest increase in job opportunities provided during 2014 was in the direct employment and tele-work programs. She said the new Labor Ministry regulations and the increased emphasis on Saudization and feminization have motivated private companies to request qualified and trained female employees from BRJ. Basamad said BRJ's role was to attract suitable candidates and find appropriate job opportunities for them. She pointed out that the direct employment, tele-work and training ending with employment programs have helped create 46,863 job opportunities during 2014, including 25,393 for females and 21,400 for males. According to unverified statistics, the BRJ's direct employment program has helped create 38,048 jobs during 2014, an increase of almost 33 percent compared with 2013 when 28,774 job opportunities were created. Males accounted for 55 percent of jobs created through the direct employment program last year. The tele-work and work from home programs made inroads last year. By the end of 2014, the two programs created 7,730 job opportunities, an increase of 105 percent compared with 3,742 jobs in 2013. Basamad attributed this increase to the desire of female job seekers to benefit from this field, which the Ministry of Labor has designated as one of employment and Saudization options for companies seeking to increase the number of their Saudi employees. The productive household program, which supports and finances family projects, created more than 24,939 job opportunities for females. Amal Al-Huwaity, director of the productive household program at BRJ, said the program has successfully provided financial, technical, administrative and marketing support to the families. In addition to loans ranging from SR2,000 to SR6,000 provided to the applicant to help the family produce and sell products, the program works as a marketing facilitator for the products in markets and at exhibitions and trading events, and through social media, Al-Huwaity said. She said the program has achieved great success and therefore BRJ is planning to increase the services and loans provided to the beneficiaries in coming years. The training program at Nafisa Shams Academy for Arts and Crafts provided training to more than 1,400 females. Hanan Al-Jairy, deputy director of Nafisa Shams Academy, said the academy is seeking to sharpen skills of females who are talented in art and crafts. Al-Jairy added that the academy has signed agreements with public and private organizations during 2014 to produce and sell ceramic products, which will be offered as gifts to the clients of those organizations. In addition, the academy works as a marketing promoter for the products. The small projects finance program, which is one of the earliest BRJ programs, created 2,181 job opportunities last year through supporting and financing projects and consultation services. Taxi ownership and truck ownership programs created 887 job opportunities during the same year. In addition, more than 1,245 young males and females have received training through the training ending with employment program during 2014. Established in 2003, BRJ helps create job opportunities for young males and females, matches between employers and job seekers, supports and creates a favorable environment for owners of small projects, and supports beneficiaries of tele-work, work from home and other programs. The first program launched by BRJ was the taxi ownership program, which was highly successful and contributed to the success of other BRJ programs for both males and females. "The results made by BRJ programs is an indication that we are on the right track," Al-Fehaid said.
