A field study has begun for setting aside 200,000 jobs for women in the Haj and Umrah sectors, especially pilgrim-related services in Makkah, an online newspaper says quoting Ayman Beshawri, deputy chairman of the training and Saudization committee in Makkah.

He said that women were not given these jobs. This was despite the fact that these jobs needed to be Saudized and were most suitable for women. What is more, this was done despite the decisions of the Ministry of Labor and good material incentives.

Beshawri said that companies in Makkah were more reluctant to hire women than those in major cities. This was mainly because women were less aware of the job opportunities, particularly in hotels. Also, there is no coordination between the offices and centers of training and employment in both the public and private sectors.

He said that the study being carried out would give detailed statistics of actual job opportunities for women. This would also help the decision-makers in the concerned authorities to create jobs for them.

This study would explore opportunities of providing jobs for women. This would reduce dependence on visas for foreign work force. The study would help companies to provide suitable local cadres for work.

Beshawri claimed that there were 200,000 jobs beginning with a salary of SR4,000 in the central region of Makkah. All these job opportunities were in the women’s areas. There can be work contract, which suites nature of a woman’s work as per the rules of the Ministry of Labor.

During the annual Haj season, thousands of jobs were created with salaries between SR4,000 and SR7,000. These jobs include drivers, supervisors, agent services, hospitality sector and Haj campaigns. These opportunities are provided for residents of Makkah and its surrounding areas, and are announced before Haj.

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