145,000 jobs for Saudis created via TV program

A Saudi-owned television channel has found 145,000 jobs for Saudis recently and has promised to find more over the next few months.
Al-Danah network linked eight companies with job seekers during the broadcast of two episodes of the program, ‘Jobs on Air.’ Seven companies offered 70,000 jobs, while the rest has been absorbed by Abdul Latif Jameel.
“For this reason ‘Jobs on Air’ is inviting jobless young Saudis to attend the airing of the program’s next episode on Tuesday,” Mohsin Shaikh Al-Hassan, program host and Islamic scholar, told Arab News on Friday.
The venue is the Prince Faisal Center on King Fahd Road in the Saudi capital from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. “The companies will rehabilitate and train the applicants for jobs offering salaries starting from SR4,500. Some of the jobs don’t require qualifications but offer up to SR7,000 a month,” he said.
Sheikh Abdul Mohsin Al-Hokair of the Al-Hokair Tourism & Recruitment Group, the guest of honor, encouraged young Saudis to explore the possibility of opening up their own small businesses instead of applying for jobs.
He said the government had been encouraging citizens to set up small and medium enterprises, which play an important role in the country’s economic growth.
He said that seed money was available from Saudi government banks, with loans starting from SR50,000. “Many local firms are willing to help the Jobs on Air program. We’re encouraging young Saudis to take advantage of the offers,” Al-Hassan said.
He said Jobs on Air also finds employment for foreigners because some companies urgently need staff. “Many Saudis are not willing to take up some of the jobs being offered. We have now been receiving applications from interested expats,” he said.
Al-Hassan said the program would run in the Saudi capital, Western Province and Eastern Province for three months each.