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28 March 2024

7,000 Saudi lingerie abusing 'ban'

In early 2012, Saudi Arabia told its lingerie shops to start replacing their salesmen with local women in line with a royal decision to feminise jobs in this lucrative sector. (Supplied)

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By Staff

More than 7,000 lingerie and female accessories shops in Saudi Arabia were caught last year violating a ban on employing men during random raids by authorities.

Newspapers quoted a statement by the labour ministry offenders had been shut for one day and fined SR10,000 (Dh10,000). The statement said those shops were also warned against repeating the offences as they could be shut for longer periods of time.

“During visits to markets, Ministry inspectors caught 7,127 shops offending the new rules last year,” the statement said, adding that inspectors would intensify raids on lingerie and female accessories shops to ensure compliance.

In early 2012, Saudi Arabia told its lingerie shops to start replacing their salesmen with local women in line with a royal decision to feminise jobs in this lucrative sector.

The decision, which gave shops a deadline to abide by the rules, was part of an ongoing drive by the largest Arab economy to find jobs for its fast-growing citizens and it follows a campaign by Saudi women to replace salesmen with females.

Saudi Arabia is suffering from relatively high unemployment rate, mainly among women, because of a rapid increase in its indigenous population and low economic growth in some years. Another factor is the reluctance of the private sector to hire Saudis as it prefers cheaper and more skilled foreign labour.

Official data showed the joblessness rate stood at 10.5 per cent at the start of 2013 but the rate among women was far higher, standing at 26.6 per cent.