It is mandatory for private sector businesses to provide medical insurance for Saudi women workers and their dependents, a Ministry of Labor official said recently.
Fahd Al-Tukhaifi, the ministry's assistant undersecretary for development, said firms would face penalties for failing to comply with the law.
Al-Tukhaifi was speaking on the sidelines of an initiative by Abdul Latif Jameel and 32 Saudi companies to hire 5,300 Saudi women.
Al-Tukhaifi also announced that the ministry would set up a database for all Saudis seeking jobs, which would include an applicant's personal details such as place of birth, education and other qualifications. The Ministry of Interior is also involved in the project, he said.
He said there is no need for the ministry to get permission from parents for women applicants to work. This is because women in any case need permission from their parents to leave the house.
He said employment was not solely the responsibility of the Labor Ministry. The Ministry of Civil Service and other bodies are also involved in job creation activities.
He said some people only see women working in the retail sector selling products for women. However, this should not be the case because there are many women heading businesses in the private sector.
He said the business sector has not succeeded yet in ensuring women take up jobs in the retail sector. “We can only say we have succeeded if Saudi women replace expatriate workers.”
He said the feminization of shops selling women's products would be completed by 2016.
Meanwhile, Abdulrahman Al-Fuhaid, director general of Bab Rizq Jameel, said the plan is to employ 20,000 women in 2014.
Rula Basammad, employment manager at Bab Rizq Jameel, said the plan has been worked out with the Labor Ministry to provide jobs for women in the private sector.
Afrah Musa, supervisor of women's employment in the Makkah region, said 32 companies have signed the agreement to employ women at good salaries, according to their qualifications.
Saudi women workers must have health insurance
