Saudi Arabia: Women find opportunities at job fair but skills matter

Fatima Sidiya, Arab News

JEDDAH: The four-day Saudi Labor Market Exhibition organized by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor, the Human Resources Fund and M.I.C.E. Arabia Group kicked off at Jeddah International Exhibition and Convention Center on Sunday. The job fair offered a chance to Saudi applicants to promote themselves and network with potential employers.

Over 100 companies are participating in this event and the visitors are expected to be as high as 10,000.

A number of training institutions and centers provided the opportunity for job seekers to get training courses to improve their skills and qualifications.

The CEO of the Council for Human Resources Development at the JCCI, Muhammad Al-Harbi, said this exhibition would be different from any other national effort for employment since it would provide information for people looking for jobs besides introducing them to local companies.

Elie Rizk, the CEO of M.I.C.E Arabia Group, said his company was focusing on giving any Saudi the chance to choose from various available career options.

“Saudis are talented and what they need is the right orientation,” he said.

According to Rizk, at this time they should be introduced to the market needs and thus encouraged to pursue studies in fields that would guarantee them jobs.

The exhibition has a handicap access to help disabled people make use of this opportunity. It also included a number of booths that cater exclusively to people with special needs.

Various types of jobs were presented at the exhibition. The most sought-after jobs were in administration. Women had many chances for employment in well-known companies. Jobs for women included office work, marketing, banking, sales, medicine, architecture, engineering and media among many others.

Amani Abu Al-Naja, a recruitment specialist at the Human Resources Development Fund, said many women sought accountant jobs but had English and computer skills as obstacles.

Nour Abu Gazala, a human resources coordinator at Al-Baik restaurant chain, said they offered production and managerial jobs for women. Though women are not yet allowed to drive, they are offered sales and marketing jobs at car companies, said Rasha Al-Kaaki from Haji Husein Alireza & Co. Ltd.

Noticeably absent were the persons manning the booth of the Labor Office. People were seen pulling out application forms from under the Labor Office table because there was nobody there. One Saudi job seeker at the scene expressed his frustration and accused the Labor Office of being irresponsible at a time private sector companies were doing their best.