The government needs to ensure that more Saudis are trained to meet the growing demand for skilled workers in the printing sector, said members of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) recently.

While local printing presses are employing women to move out of the Red Zone of the Nitaqat quota system, the JCCI’s printing presses committee said there are 3,500 vacancies alone in the western region.

Investors said during the meeting that the issue of nationalizing technical jobs in the sector is the most obvious threat to their businesses. They have been able to counter this danger to some extent by hiring Saudis, especially women, in administrative jobs, and binding, accounting and marketing departments.

Investors said that they cannot find many trained Saudis for the sector because of lack of training institutions. Students do not want to study at the training facilities in Riyadh and Jeddah, they said.

Investors said the introduction of digital technology in the sector would be costly but eventually ensure higher quality and production.

Abdulaziz Al-Ghamdi, chairman of the committee, said Saudis do not want to work in the sector because they do not find it attractive. In addition, businesses pay low salaries of about SR3,000 a month. The sector did establish a training facility but Saudis did not turn up for training, he said.

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