Saudi Arabia

Jobs for Saudi women as cooks, waitresses under study

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RIYADH: The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) is conducting a study to see how Saudi women can be employed in the food and hospitality sector, including as cooks, waitresses and receptionists.

Adel Makki, head of the hospitality committee at the JCCI, said women can be employed in the industry in compliance with Islamic rules, according to a report published recently in Aleqtesadiah, a sister publication of Arab News.

Makki said the jobs would be as cooks, cook helpers, supervisors, receptionists and waitresses. They can be paid a monthly salary of SR5,000 to start with, with increases based on performance.

Makki said there are several institutes in the Kingdom able to provide training for women in the hospitality sector. They can also get on-the-job training as trainees, he said.

Recently, Labor Minister Mufrej Al-Haqabani said unemployment among Saudi women rose from 15 percent in 2014 to 32 percent in 2015. He urged the private sector to place their trust in Saudi women and integrate them into the job market.

He said the government would launch a set of programs for the employment of Saudi women in the private sector in the coming weeks. There are also plans to establish colleges of excellence in cooperation with the private sector to attract world class teachers to train Saudi youth.

The Department of General Statistics and Information recorded unemployment among Saudis at 11.7 percent in 2014 compared to 11.5 percent in 2013. It showed that unemployment among Saudi women was 32.8 percent in 2015 while it was 5.9 percent for men.

Unemployment in the Eastern Province, Al-Jouf and Asir was less than 10 percent, and in Makkah, Al-Qassim and Tabuk up to 12 percent. Hail, Madinah and Najran have 13 to 15 percent unemployment, while Riyadh has more than 15 percent.

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