Most Saudis fail to grab job opportunities in Makkah

Projects that have been implemented to develop the holy city provide a lot of jobs in tourism, transportation and others sectors. However, most Saudis are not interested in taking advantage of such projects to find jobs.
The majority of the work force is made up of expatriates working in construction, trade, manufacturing, telecommunication, financial and other sectors.
The tourism sector in Makkah has been revived due to high demand for hotels receiving millions of Haj and Umrah visitors every year. Foreigners dominate this sector and occupy 75 percent of jobs that have been created by development projects.
The train project in Makkah created 279 job opportunities for young Saudis. New projects worth more than SR300 billion are being implemented in Makkah to improve services being rendered to millions of pilgrims.
The Makkah Development Plan is worth over $30 billion for projects encompassing the area’s infrastructure, utilities, real estate and tourism. A number of projects around the Grand Mosque are also already under way.
In addition to the primary sector of hospitality, it was estimated that a total of 562,140 people will be working in Makkah in 2013 and the size of the pool is projected to reach 668,973 in 2022.
Hani Baothman, managing director and CEO of Sidra Capital, the financial adviser to Diyar Al-Balad, said: “We have put a lot of effort into continuously enhancing the project’s value proposition to target stakeholders, including investors, while upholding the underlying objectives of the partnership. We have developed a stronger working relationship with existing stakeholders, including Al-Balad Al-Ameen, and we remain committed to supporting its plan envisioned under the Makkah Development Plan.” 
“There is no doubt that the work force will be here to support the implementation and that there is huge demand. The real challenge is to build the right type of accommodation to suit their needs. We envisage that this project will set the standard of such offerings in Makkah,” he added.