Strategy to make Saudis more employable

Labor Minister Adel Fakeih has launched an international conference on education and employment in Madinah on Tuesday, calling for greater alignment between educational and training institutions and the labor market.
He said his ministry would continue its efforts to encourage the private sector to employ more Saudis. “Our strategy aims not only to fight unemployment, but also to make young Saudis more employable,” he said.
Fakeih stressed the need to reduce the gap between education and employment, adding that education should focus on job market requirements. “We have launched an e-gate for officials and experts to exchange views on labor issues,” the minister said. Fakeih had earlier met with Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman, who emphasized the significance of the conference, expressing hope that it would make viable proposals to confront the unemployment challenge.
“Joint initiatives are required to find jobs for the increasing number of Saudi university graduates,” the governor said while stressing the need to change the relation between education and job market.
He hoped the new investment projects in Madinah would create more job opportunities for young Saudi men and women in all sectors.
Organized by the Institute of Knowledge Economic City in Madinah, the conference will debate more than 20 research papers presented by international experts.
The Labor Ministry said it employed 411,000 Saudis, including women in the private sector, where nearly 90 percent of workers are foreigners.