RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) on Wednesday deposited SR430 million ($111.8 million) in the bank accounts of 284,000 people through its national job-hunting initiative TAQAT, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
“The number of beneficiaries reached 147,000 young men and 137,000 young women,” HRDF said. “Of these 13,910 were able to find job opportunities in March through TAQAT, including 7,619 young women and 6,291 young men.”
The HRDF is run by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development in collaboration with Saudi Arabia’s private sector. It offers training programs and workshops to TAQAT beneficiaries to enhance their skills and help them find job opportunities in the labor market. It also allows candidates to manage their CVs and job applications.
The number of Saudis seeking work reached 970,229 during the fourth quarter of 2018, according to data from government agencies’ administrative records.
The unemployment rate among Saudi males stood at 6.6 percent, compared to 32.5 percent among Saudi females during the fourth quarter.
