The Ministry of Labor is looking into the possibility of feminizing a range of commercial activities, Adel Fakieh, Minister of Labor, has said. The announcement follows the successful placement of female workers in lingerie outlets throughout the country. Fakieh made the remarks after an agreement was signed between “Hadaf” and “Kilana” for training and employment of Saudis here Sunday evening. The range of commercial activities specifically for females will be announced once studies on the subject are completed, the minister was quoted by local media as saying. According to the feminization plan, the employment of saleswomen in cosmetics shops will begin in Sha'ban (July) this year. Fakieh indicated that there were several other schemes on the lines of the Nitaqat Program to create jobs for Saudis. He insisted that the Nitaqat system is safe and employers cannot escape enforcing Saudization by hiring employees from subcontractors. Contracts of workers hired from subcontracting companies will be sent to the Ministry of Labor which will count the workers as being employed by the subcontracting company or establishment, the minister said. Subcontracting companies will be obliged to send data on their workers to the ministry so that they do not fall into the red zone under the Nitaqat system. The Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf) and Prince Fahd Bin Salman Charitable Society for the Care of Kidney Failure Patients (Kilana) has signed an agreement to facilitate the employment of citizens suffering from kidney failure. They have also undertaken to train 320 young men and women in kidney dialysis nursing throughout the Kingdom.
