Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Eng. Ahmed Al-Rajhi announced three ministerial decisions to organize work types, as well as ongoing preparations for a project to review the legislations in force.
He noted that more than 2.2 million Saudi male and female citizens currently work in the private sector - the highest number in history, revealing that women’s economic participation has reached 35.6 percent this year, compared to 17.7 percent before the adoption of Vision 2030.
During a session on “the prospects and challenges of the new field of work — freelance work, flexible work and remote work” organized as part of the activities of the 10th edition of Riyadh Economic Forum, Al-Rajhi said that the ministry targets to announce 11 decisions on localization before the end of 2022.
He added that the employers’ rate of compliance with the Saudi Nationalization Scheme (Saudization) has reached 98 percent, while compliance with the Wage Protection Program was about 80 percent.
The Saudi minister pointed to the establishment of the Future Work Company in the fourth quarter of 2019, which seeks to link the private sector with individuals in the market and empower young men and women and develop their skills. The project is part of the ministry’s endeavor to organize and stimulate the freelancing sector in the Kingdom, he underlined.
According to Al-Rajhi, the average economic value of self-employment in the Kingdom is estimated at SR7.4 billion in 2021.
He noted that the ministry issued three organizational decisions for different types of work, and was currently working on a project to review legislation.
Meanwhile, Engineer Saleh Al-Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, chaired a panel discussion on a study to link the Saudi regions with railways and evaluate its impact on the tourism and logistics services.
Al-Jasser pointed to the importance of the study, as it aligns with the national strategy for transport and logistics.
The discussion, which was held within the activities of the Riyadh Economic Forum, focused on ways to benefit from achieving the objectives of the general strategy for public transport and Vision 2030, with the aim to consolidate the Kingdom’s position as a global logistics hub linking the three continents, upgrading transport services, and strengthening the tourism services system.
