Federation of Saudi Chambers Launches Employee Leasing Initiative with 50 Financing Entities

Initiatives to improve the market of HR companies and expand their business. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Initiatives to improve the market of HR companies and expand their business. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Federation of Saudi Chambers Launches Employee Leasing Initiative with 50 Financing Entities

Initiatives to improve the market of HR companies and expand their business. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Initiatives to improve the market of HR companies and expand their business. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Federation of Saudi Chambers (FSC) launched an initiative to encourage banks and various financial institutions to provide finance products and installment services for employee leasing in the Saudi market. This comes in light of the high demand for manpower and the increase in the volume of investments and projects.

The initiative was revealed during an extensive meeting held by the National Committee for Human Resources Companies at the headquarters of the Federation of Saudi Chambers, in the presence of the Saudi Central Bank and more than 50 representatives of banks and financing entities operating in the Kingdom.

Human resources companies presented studies indicating the clients’ need for employee leasing finance and installment services.

They pointed to their reliance on stable and sustainable products and industry that constitute an investment opportunity for all in light of the volume of the labor market in the Kingdom.

According to a statement by the FSC, the discussed studies pointed out that human resources companies provide various advanced services and products, including leasing by the hour.

They have also invested millions of riyals in advanced technologies and systems to manage their various processes.

The FSC, represented by the National Committee for Human Resources Companies, underlined its demand for financing entities to provide financing solutions for employee leasing sector by reviewing the components, market size and the available opportunities.

The global HR market is estimated at about $400 billion, while the Kingdom's share of this amount does not exceed 0.4%, with investments estimated at more than SAR6 billion ($1.6 billion), despite being ranked the third globally in terms of attracting foreign labor.

The companies’ share at the Saudi labor market, which includes 10.5 million workers, is about 8% in the private sector and domestic workers.



Gold Firms; Focus on US Data for Cues on Fed's Policy Path

FILE PHOTO: A woman looks at a gold bangle inside a jewellery showroom at a market in Mumbai January 15, 2015. REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade//File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A woman looks at a gold bangle inside a jewellery showroom at a market in Mumbai January 15, 2015. REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade//File Photo
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Gold Firms; Focus on US Data for Cues on Fed's Policy Path

FILE PHOTO: A woman looks at a gold bangle inside a jewellery showroom at a market in Mumbai January 15, 2015. REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade//File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A woman looks at a gold bangle inside a jewellery showroom at a market in Mumbai January 15, 2015. REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade//File Photo

Gold prices hovered near a four-week peak on Thursday, while focus shifted to jobs report due on Friday for clarity on the Federal Reserve's 2025 interest rate path.
Spot gold edged 0.1% higher to $2,664.30 per ounce, as of 0732 GMT. US gold futures rose 0.4% to $2,681.80
"Prices are trading in a narrow range ... A new trigger is needed for gold to breach its resistance," said Ajay Kedia, director at Kedia Commodities in Mumbai.
The bullion hit a near four-week high in the previous session after a weaker-than-expected US private employment report hinted that the Fed may be less cautious about easing rates this year.
The market now awaits US jobs report on Friday for more cues on the Fed's policy path.
Investors are also awaiting Donald Trump to take office on Jan. 20 and his proposed tariffs and protectionist policies are expected to fuel inflation.
Policymakers at the Fed's last meeting also "noted that recent higher-than-expected readings on inflation, and the effects of potential changes in trade and immigration policy, suggested that the process could take longer than previously anticipated," the minutes showed on Wednesday.
Bullion is considered an inflationary hedge, but high rates reduce the non-yielding asset's allure.
"We believe the bulk of the rally has been put in and that while gold's upward momentum may carry it higher in the near term and in early 2025, a combination of physical and financial market factors may tame the rally and drive gold moderately lower by the end of next year," HSBC said in a note.
Elsewhere, physically-backed gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) registered their first inflow in four years, the World Gold Council said.
Spot silver added 0.2% to $30.17 per ounce, platinum dropped 0.3% to $952.54 and palladium shed 0.8% to $921.37.