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Saudi MoU Signed to Develop Labor Force Amid Rapid Industrial Growth

MoU signed between KAUST and SIDF on Tuesday (Asharq Al-Awsat)
MoU signed between KAUST and SIDF on Tuesday (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi MoU Signed to Develop Labor Force Amid Rapid Industrial Growth

MoU signed between KAUST and SIDF on Tuesday (Asharq Al-Awsat)
MoU signed between KAUST and SIDF on Tuesday (Asharq Al-Awsat)

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) announced on Tuesday that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF) to provide training to SIDF members via two programs: the KAUST SME Maharat and the KAUST Academy.

The partnership aims to upskill the local workforce and help create new job opportunities for Saudi youth, according to a statement issued on Tuesday.

Offering further training that supports the industrial sector, the agreement will also advance development, increase exports, diversify income sources, and expand production in Saudi Arabia, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals.

The industrial sector is growing rapidly in Saudi Arabia. This has created an urgent need to provide more training that can cultivate the skills of the local workforce.

Additionally, due to shortages in certain areas of the industry, small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs) also find themselves in need of further training. Human resource development initiatives can address the industrial employee skills gap.

By joining forces, KAUST and SIDF will focus on both developing and improving industrial performance, while also increasing productivity and efficiency and upskilling the local industry.

The two will develop and deliver workshops and training schemes as well as take advantage of shared utilization of facilities and capabilities towards this end.

Ultimately, the goal will be to build innovation capacity for Saudi Arabia’s SMEs.

The KAUST SME Maharat will focus on providing training from an SME perspective. While, the KAUST Academy will provide SIDF members with training in Artificial Intelligence (AI) from a research perspective.

Local manufacturers will also be able to take advantage of KAUST’s expertise and the Saudi Advanced Manufacturing Hub (Saudi AMHUB) network and efforts hosted by SIDF and their collaboration when it comes to capacity building and education in areas of deep tech such as AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), Digital Transformation, Prototyping, and 3D printing.

“If we take a hard look at the new National Industrial Strategy and its aim to increase the number of factories in the Kingdom to about 36,000 by 2035, it is easy to understand the need for an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ collaboration,” said KAUST President Tony Chan said.

SIDF CEO Dr. Ibrahim Saad AlMojel stressed the importance of signing the MoU with KAUST, a member of the Saudi Advanced Manufacturing hub (AMHUB).

“We are proud of this fruitful partnership with KAUST, in which we aim to improve the industrial sectors, share know-how, and develop young talents,” he added.

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Dollar Resumes Upward Trend, Euro Hits Lowest since Nov 2022

US Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
US Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Dollar Resumes Upward Trend, Euro Hits Lowest since Nov 2022

US Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
US Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

The dollar hit new multi-month highs against the euro and the pound on Thursday, the first day of 2025 trading, as it built on last year's strong gains on expectations US interest rates will remain high relative to peers.

The euro fell to as low as $1.0314, its lowest since November 2022, down around 0.3% on the day. It is now down nearly 8% since its late September highs above $1.12, one major victim of the dollar's recent surge.

Traders anticipate deep interest rate cuts from the European Central Bank in 2025, with markets pricing in at least four 25 basis point cuts, while not being certain of even two such moves from the US Federal Reserve, Reuters reported.

The dollar was hitting milestones across the board and the pound was last down 0.65% at $1.2443, its lowest since April, with its fall accelerating after it broke through resistance around $1.2475.

"It's more of the same at the start of the new calendar year with the dollar continuing to extend its advances in anticipation of Trump putting in place friendly policies at the start of his term," said Lee Hardman, senior currency analyst at MUFG.

US President-elect Donald Trump's policies are widely expected to not only boost growth but also add to upward price pressure. That will lead to a Fed cautious about cutting rates too much further, in turn underpinning US Treasury yields and boost dollar demand.

A weaker growth outlook outside the US, conflict in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war have also added to demand for the dollar.

The dollar also reversed an early loss on Thursday to climb against the Japanese yen, and was last up 0.17% at 157.26.

It reached a five-month high above 158 yen in late December, potentially putting pressure on the Bank of Japan, which is expected to raise interest rates early this year, but possibly not immediately.

"If dollar/yen were to break above 160 ahead of the next BOJ meeting, that could be a catalyst for the BOJ to hike in January rather than wait until March," said Hardman.

"Though for now markets are leaning towards March after the dovish comments from (governor Kazuo) Ueda at his last press conference."

Even those who are more cautious about sustained dollar strength think it could take a long time to play out.

"The dollar may be vulnerable – but only if the US data confound market expectations that the Fed doesn’t cut rates more than once in the first half of this year, and not by more than 50bp in the whole of 2025," said Kit Juckes chief FX strategist at Societe Generale in a note.

"There's a good chance of that happening, but it seems very unlikely that cracks in US growth will appear early in the year – hence my preference for taking any bearish dollar thoughts with me into hibernation until the weather improves."

China's yuan languished at 14-month lows as worries about the health of the world's second-biggest economy, the prospect of US import tariffs from the Trump administration and sliding local yields weighed on investor sentiment.

Elsewhere, the Swiss franc, another victim of the recent dollar strength, gave back early gains to last trade flat at 0.90755 per dollar.

The Australian and New Zealand dollars, however, managed to break away from two-year lows touched on Tuesday. The Aussie was 0.36% higher at $0.6215 having dropped 9% in 2024, its weakest yearly performance since 2018.

The kiwi rose 0.47% to $0.5614.