Saudi Arabia to Start Supporting Private Sector Employees

Saudi Arabia to Start Supporting Private Sector Employees
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Saudi Arabia to Start Supporting Private Sector Employees

Saudi Arabia to Start Supporting Private Sector Employees

The Human Resources Development Fund (HADAF) announced the activation of a special initiative aimed at supporting Saudi private sector employees.

The initiative will benefit more than 80,000 Saudi men and women working in the private sector, specifically those who have been employed since the beginning of July 2019 and have not received any support from HADAF so far.

In a statement, HADAF called on private sector institutions to register online to take advantage of the initiative.

It added that the initiative fell within the framework of programs launched by the Fund as part of government support initiatives to ensure the stability of private sector enterprises, in light of the current economic situation that was impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.

According to the statement, HADAF has dedicated SR1 billion ($266 million) to support Saudis, who were employed in the private sector after July 1, 2019 and are receiving a salary ranging between SR4,000 and SR15,000.

The employees should not have previously benefited from the Fund’s employment support programs.

In parallel, HADAF announced on Monday that the value of projects proposed for competition by establishments in the “Forsa” platform has exceeded SR526 million since the launch of the platform in August 2016.

The platform is an electronic service that provides business establishments with the ability to compete for direct purchasing orders offered by government companies and major entities in the private sector.



Oil Edges Up on Strong US GDP Data

A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California, US April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California, US April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
TT

Oil Edges Up on Strong US GDP Data

A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California, US April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California, US April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo

Oil prices were up slightly on Friday on stronger-than-expected US economic data that raised investor expectations for increasing crude oil demand from the world's largest energy consumer.

But concerns about soft economic conditions in Asia's biggest economies, China and Japan, capped gains.

Brent crude futures for September rose 7 cents to $82.44 a barrel by 0014 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude for September increased 4 cents to $78.32 per barrel, Reuters reported.

In the second quarter, the US economy grew at a faster-than-expected annualised rate of 2.8% as consumers spent more and businesses increased investments, Commerce Department data showed. Economists polled by Reuters had predicted US gross domestic product would grow by 2.0% over the period.

At the same time, inflation pressures eased, which kept intact expectations that the Federal Reserve would move forward with a September interest rate cut. Lower interest rates tend to boost economic activity, which can spur oil demand.

Still, continued signs of trouble in parts of Asia limited oil price gains.

Core consumer prices in Japan's capital were up 2.2% in July from a year earlier, data showed on Friday, raising market expectations of an interest rate hike in the near term.

But an index that strips away energy costs, seen as a better gauge of underlying price trends, rose at the slowest annual pace in nearly two years, suggesting that price hikes are moderating due to soft consumption.

China, the world's biggest crude importer, surprised markets for a second time this week by conducting an unscheduled lending operation on Thursday at steeply lower rates, suggesting authorities are trying to provide heavier monetary stimulus to prop up the economy.