Women fail to get jobs at fair

A job fair recently organized in the Eastern Province witnessed a low employer turnout and a lack of new opportunities for women, according to organizers.

The female job fair day was held on the final day of the three-day event.

According to sources, the fair failed to provide opportunities for women in new fields in the private sector, with most jobs on offer in the usual administrative, sales or human resource domains.

Many companies didn’t even show up on the last day, claiming they lacked suitable jobs for women.

“The Human Resource Development Fund (HADAF) had stipulated that female job seekers at the fair should be unemployed for three months or more and not regis-

Many companies didn’t even show up on the last day, claiming they lacked suitable jobs for women.

tered with social insurance,” said Abdullah Al-Bassam, HADAF’s representative during the event.

Naif Al-Shammari, representative of a training company, said that job opportunities depend on experience and English language skills.

“Some companies stipulate that applicants should also pass a personal interview,” he said.

The low turnout of companies was reportedly coupled with the fact that many companies are looking for short-term hires.

Several private telecommunication companies said they would only announce job opportunities at the beginning of the year, while representatives of the Saudi Cement Company claimed that they would only have openings by mid-2015.

During the scientific programs that accompanied the fair, Maher Al-Younes, employee affairs director, said Saudis form 47 percent of the total work force in the country.

Al-Younes added that in today’s Saudi employment market, the most sought-after skills are generally related to communications, analysis and computers, but that employers are also seeking employees who can adapt and be flexible to today’s fastpaced workflow.