عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Business

Saudi Arabia Bolsters Private Sector Partnership to Achieve Economic Sustainability

The Saudi government focuses on supporting the national private sector to reflect positively on its GDP (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi government focuses on supporting the national private sector to reflect positively on its GDP (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia Bolsters Private Sector Partnership to Achieve Economic Sustainability

The Saudi government focuses on supporting the national private sector to reflect positively on its GDP (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi government focuses on supporting the national private sector to reflect positively on its GDP (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Council of Ministers approved the transformation of the Private Sector Partnership Reinforcement Program (Shareek) into a center named “the Private Sector Partnership Reinforcement Center (Shareek).”

Experts told Asharq Al-Awsat that the measure confirms the Saudi government’s seriousness in modifying the path of partnership with the private sector to achieve economic sustainability.

Shareek aims to increase domestic investments of private sector companies (listed and non-listed companies) to reach SAR 5 ($1.3 billion) trillion by 2030 through the support and unlocking of Government-approved incentives.

The decision to transform Shareek into a center, under the leadership of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, reflects the government’s interest in the local private sector and keenness to support and increase its contribution to the national economy, the head of the Federation of Saudi Chambers (FSC) Hassan Al-Huwaizi told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Al-Huwaizi added that the center will have a positive effect on advancing the program’s goals.

The FSC head stressed that the center ushers in a new formula and stage in the partnership between the public and private sectors, in line with the directions and objectives of “Vision 2030.”

The newly created Shareek Center supports the creation of more than 100,000 job opportunities and the promotion of local content by 2030, said Al-Huwaizi.

He affirmed that institutional bodies of the business sector in the Kingdom, represented by the FSC and Chambers of Commerce, will work closely with the Sahreek to enable investment opportunities and boost competitiveness in implementing various projects.

Transforming the Sahreek program into a center will support raising the private sector’s contribution to the GDP and the achievement of the goals of Vision 2030, said Osama Al-Obeidi, advisor and professor of international commercial law at the Institute of Public Administration.

It is a step in the right direction to build the relationship between local companies and public agencies, he added.

Most Viewed

 
 
Business

US Job Growth Surges in September, Unemployment Rate Falls to 4.1%

A woman enters a store next to a sign advertising job openings at Times Square in New York City, New York, US, August 6, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
A woman enters a store next to a sign advertising job openings at Times Square in New York City, New York, US, August 6, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
TT
TT

US Job Growth Surges in September, Unemployment Rate Falls to 4.1%

A woman enters a store next to a sign advertising job openings at Times Square in New York City, New York, US, August 6, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
A woman enters a store next to a sign advertising job openings at Times Square in New York City, New York, US, August 6, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo

US job growth accelerated in September and the unemployment slipped to 4.1%, further reducing the need for the Federal Reserve to maintain large interest rate cuts at its remaining two meetings this year.
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 254,000 jobs last month after rising by an upwardly revised 159,000 in August, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said in its closely watched employment report on Friday.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls rising by 140,000 positions after advancing by a previously reported 142,000 in August.
The initial payrolls count for August has typically been revised higher over the past decade. Estimates for September's job gains ranged from 70,000 to 220,000.
The US labor market slowdown is being driven by tepid hiring against the backdrop of increased labor supply stemming mostly from a rise in immigration. Layoffs have remained low, which is underpinning the economy through solid consumer spending.
Average hourly earnings rose 0.4% after gaining 0.5% in August. Wages increased 4% year-on-year after climbing 3.9% in August.
The US unemployment rate dropped from 4.2% in August. It has jumped from 3.4% in April 2023, in part boosted by the 16-24 age cohort and rise in temporary layoffs during the annual automobile plant shutdowns in July.
The US Federal Reserve's policy setting committee kicked off its policy easing cycle with an unusually large half-percentage-point rate cut last month and Fed Chair Jerome Powell emphasized growing concerns over the health of the labor market.
While the labor market has taken a step back, annual benchmark revisions to national accounts data last week showed the economy in a much better shape than previously estimated, with upgrades to growth, income, savings and corporate profits.
This improved economic backdrop was acknowledged by Powell this week when he pushed back against investors' expectations for another half-percentage-point rate cut in November, saying “this is not a committee that feels like it is in a hurry to cut rates quickly.”
The Fed hiked rates by 525 basis points in 2022 and 2023, and delivered its first rate cut since 2020 last month. Its policy rate is currently set in the 4.75%-5.00% band.
Early on Friday, financial markets saw a roughly 71.5% chance of a quarter-point rate reduction in November, CME's FedWatch tool showed. The odds of a 50 basis points cut were around 28.5%.