Saudi Arabia has approved plans to give women jobs to watch local markets for the first time in the conservative Gulf Kingdom which is striving to find work for its fast growing citizens, newspapers reported on Wednesday.
The plan initially involves 200 jobs which will be taken up within the next two months before 300 other jobs are endorsed by the ministry of trade, they said.
“The ministry of trade has approved such jobs for women for the first time in the Kingdom….the ministry of civil service is to provide training to them before they take up the jobs,” Alsaudi Arabic language newspaper said.
Saudi Arabia has been locked in a drive to find jobs for its citizens to tackle festering unemployment caused mainly by a rapid rise in the native population and preference of cheaper expatriate labour by the private sector.
Official data showed unemployment among Saudis stood at around 10.5 per cent at the end of 2010 while the rate among women was as high as 29 per cent.