Govt Incentives Support Sustainability of Saudi Employment in Private Sector

Private sector companies attracted 49,300 Saudis in October. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Private sector companies attracted 49,300 Saudis in October. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Govt Incentives Support Sustainability of Saudi Employment in Private Sector

Private sector companies attracted 49,300 Saudis in October. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Private sector companies attracted 49,300 Saudis in October. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Three main factors provided by the Saudi government have helped sustain the employment of citizens in the private sector over the past years.

Those include financial incentives and rewards, continuous training and development, and support and nationalization programs.

According to a report by the National Labor Observatory of the Human Resources Fund on Sunday, a copy of which was reviewed by Asharq Al-Awsat, the local labor market was able to employ more than 714,000 people in the private sector during a period ranging between five to 10 working years.

Private sector companies attracted 49,300 citizens last October. This comes after non-oil sector companies recorded a strong performance during the same month, in terms of employment, the highest in nine years, according to the Purchasing Managers’ Index issued by Riyad Bank in cooperation with Standard & Poor’s.

The report revealed that the total number of citizens working in the private sector reached more than 611,000 employees between one and three years, while the number of Saudis in private companies between three and five years reached more than 377,000 workers.

A recent report issued by the Saudi Ministry of Economy and Planning pointed to an improvement in the business environment in Saudi Arabia, as non-oil private sector companies witnessed a continuous growth in performance.

The report revealed that new orders increased positively at the beginning of the second quarter, which led to a strong growth in economic activity, production and employment.



Oil Prices Steady as Markets Weigh Demand against US Inventories

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
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Oil Prices Steady as Markets Weigh Demand against US Inventories

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Oil prices were little changed on Thursday as investors weighed firm winter fuel demand expectations against large US fuel inventories and macroeconomic concerns.

Brent crude futures were down 3 cents at $76.13 a barrel by 1003 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures dipped 10 cents to $73.22.

Both benchmarks fell more than 1% on Wednesday as a stronger dollar and a bigger than expected rise in US fuel stockpiles pressured prices.

"The oil market is still grappling with opposite forces - seasonal demand to support the bulls and macro data that supports a stronger US dollar in the medium term ... that can put a ceiling to prevent the bulls from advancing further," said OANDA senior market analyst Kelvin Wong.

JPMorgan analysts expect oil demand for January to expand by 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) year on year to 101.4 million bpd, primarily driven by increased use of heating fuels in the Northern Hemisphere.

"Global oil demand is expected to remain strong throughout January, fuelled by colder than normal winter conditions that are boosting heating fuel consumption, as well as an earlier onset of travel activities in China for the Lunar New Year holidays," the analysts said.

The market structure in Brent futures is also indicating that traders are becoming more concerned about supply tightening at the same time demand is increasing.

The premium of the front-month Brent contract over the six-month contract reached its widest since August on Wednesday. A widening of this backwardation, when futures for prompt delivery are higher than for later delivery, typically indicates that supply is declining or demand is increasing.

Nevertheless, official Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed rising gasoline and distillates stockpiles in the United States last week.

The dollar strengthened further on Thursday, underpinned by rising Treasury yields ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump's entrance into the White House on Jan. 20.

Looking ahead, WTI crude oil is expected to oscillate within a range of $67.55 to $77.95 into February as the market awaits more clarity on Trump's administration policies and fresh fiscal stimulus measures out of China, OANDA's Wong said.