Clothing retailers here say they are losing money because they are having difficulty finding Saudi women to work in their abaya stores. They have also complained that many local women are reluctant to work stipulated hours and shifts.
They also want more financial support from the government’s Human Resources Development Fund, and training provided for workers.
Mohammad Sultan Al-Shahri, president of the textile and clothing committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), said the committee has sent numerous letters to the Ministry of Labor, but have not had retailers’ complaints addressed.
The committee is set to meet with labor officials to study the implications of the decision to employ women in abaya and women’s accessory stores.
Al-Shahri said the committee supports the decision to employ women in this sector, but the problems facing the textile industry must be addressed. Shops have not succeeded in securing trained women cadres, he said.
“Work in clothing and accessory shops is based on two working shifts. Unfortunately, women employees do not favor this type of working schedule, which poses a real problem for us. Most Saudi female candidates prefer working in offices,” he said.
“We have addressed the Minister of Labor with our concerns regarding the difficulties we have in hiring Saudi women in this sector. If we raise salaries to motivate them to work, this could have an adverse impact on prices. We have asked for the Human Resources Development Fund to increase its support to 75 percent, to raise the maximum support to SR 3,000 instead of SR 2,000,” he said.
Al-Shahri said shop owners have already begun employing Saudi women, but need to train them. “The ministry needs to provide training centers for women wishing to work in clothing shops. Many shops complain of women coming to work for a few days, but leaving soon afterward to find office work,” he said.
Abaya stores can’t find Saudi women workers
