Employers urged to create sound work environment for women

RIYADH: Labor Minister Adel Fakeih urged the private and public sector yesterday to create a conducive work environment for women in the Kingdom.
The minister was speaking at a conference on “Maximizing the Employment of Saudi Women” at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh yesterday.
The event organized by SABB was also attended by its Chairman Sheikh Khaled Olayan.
Fakeih said his vision on the role of the private sector is to develop a partnership between the private sector and the government to respond to the needs of the society.
He reiterated his ministry’s determination to strengthen and develop labor market mechanisms while carefully considering the three parts of the process such as the private sector, job seekers and the government. With such a framework, Fakeih underlined the work needed to put in place all necessary regulations to secure an optimal work environment for Saudi women.
“Such measures would offer the community the fullest potential of half of its human capital,” he added.
The national conference focused on the issue of Saudi women’s employment environment. The event was attended by a significant number of senior officials from the public and private sectors, including heads of human resources departments in major Saudi and international companies, human capital development specialists, academics and senior governmental figures.
In his brief speech, Olayan, expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Minister of Labor for patronizing the event.
“The minister’s participation demonstrated his strong commitment to support every effort that aims to increase the level of participation of Saudi women in the labor market, and in the national economy in general.
The labor minister’s remarks were followed by Professor William Scott- Jackson, who offered an overview of the study conducted by Oxford Strategic Consulting (OSC). The focused on the potential and the challenges surrounding the employment of women in the Kingdom, while keeping in line with religious guidelines and cultural traditions.
Scott-Jackson’s presentation was followed by the Director General of Human Resources Development Fund, Ibrahim Al-Muaeqel, who discussed the promises and prospects of Saudi women employment.
The results of the research conducted by Oxford Strategic Consulting (OSC) under the sponsorship of SABB were discussed at the conference.
The research sought to help facilitate the highest economical contribution possible by women in the Kingdom, by proposing a set of practical recommendations for companies to consider for necessary implementation .
The research team worked directly with a group of specialists and stakeholders from the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), the King Saud University (KSU) and senior officials from the Ministry of Labor.
The study covered more than 50 companies and 500 women employees from different regions of the Kingdom to spell out the obstacles,and find proper solutions to overcome them.