JEDDAH: The number of Saudi women working is far too low, Eng. Adel Fakieh, Minister of Labor, said Tuesday in a speech at the Women's Business Forum 2010. The real wealth of society lies in the capacity of its citizens and more women can and should join the labor force, he said. “According to the statistics, participation of Saudi women in the economy is very low,” he said. “Only 12 percent are working and there should be more. We should work hard. We want to see Saudi women in all sectors to participate in the national development of the country.” According to 2009 statistics, there are 5.9 million Saudi women ready for workforce entry, but only 706,000 are working. “About 157,000 women with post-secondary education diplomas are unemployed, so we are planning to open the doors for them to the private business ownership,” he said. “Only 17 percent of women are working in the private sector. At the moment, Saudi women are involved in social activities, women's foundations and other activities, but we want them to become part of the economy on industrial and non-industrial levels. He noted that King Abdullah and other members of the royal family are determined to ensure that more women work and participate in the national development and that there are new ways to make that happen. “The efforts are legislative, regulatory and procedural,” he said. “Many have been made and are being made to provide opportunities for Saudi women wishing to work, but what has been achieved is still below the desired level. The number of unemployed women is significant and it is growing. “The reasons can be summarized as limited career opportunities available and poor alignment between jobs available and job-seekers' locations; it is not a matter of the jobs that are available.” In accordance with its vision, the Ministry of Labor is working on a strategy related to women's work that includes action plans and procedures, Fakieh said. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture and Information realizes the importance of creating procedures and measures to achieve the participation of women in national development, said minister Abdul Aziz Khoja. “To talk about women and their participation in national development, what comes to mind are the challenges they face,” he said. “I realize that the development is shared both by men and women, without distinction. “It is important that women participate in the relevant sectors in the country, including in the Ministry of Culture and Information, which realized the gravity of its role and its importance as a media outlet and an official arm for assistance. It is a vital perspective. There is great importance in creating procedures and measures to achieve the participation of women in the national development and it is very important to look at the problems and solve them,” said Khoja. Everyone needs to work hard to change the view of the society and misconceptions and stereotypes about working women, he said. Women effectively participated in the media sector since the beginning, whether in government or the private sector, and proved their professionalism in those positions, he pointed out. “There is no doubt that the role of the private sector is complementary with the government's as regards women's participation in the development of the country and I hope businesses will move forward with this, especially in the service sectors and banks,” Khoja said. He said women should also have leading roles in IT, in the public and private sectors, because this work is consistent with the Kingdom's traditions and customs.
