Business & Money | Tuesday 9 June, 2015 12:44 am |

Minister of Labor Mufrej Al-Haqabani said the private sector has employed more than 900,000 citizens over the past three years through a number of social and employment-focused initiatives launched by the ministry in collaboration with other institutions.

He said such initiatives have contributed to a decline in the unemployment rate among Saudis, from 12.4 percent in 2011 to 11.7 percent by the end of 2014.
In a speech on Thursday at the 104th session of the International Labor Organization conference in Geneva, Al-Haqabani said job creation and availability is one of the most important issues to ensuring social justice and stability in society, noting that his ministry has launched a range of programs that are in line with future employment within the framework of a knowledge and digital economy.
Other potential opportunities for job creation are linked to new technologies within the green sector and service economy, which he described as "good opportunities because they have the capacity to address several issues at the same time."

"The report submitted by Director General of the Organization Guy Ryder on the future of employment highlights the paramount importance and role of the ILO, which will soon celebrate the centenary of its founding. This is an important occasion to focus on a long-term outlook for the future of employment and to explore visions for the future,” he said.