More than 37,558 job opportunities were provided by Bab Rizq Jameel to Saudi Youth during the first half of 2014, highlighting the success of the programme’s efforts. Bab Rizq Jameel is one of Abdul Latif Jameel’s Community Initiatives. The figure marks an 8% increase (nearly 2736 job opportunities) from the numbers achieved within the same period last year.

  • An increase of 8% on the same period last year
  • 57% through direct employment
  • 39.6% through productive families and small projects financing programmes

The Direct Employment Program for Men and Women achieved the largest percentage of all the provided opportunities, exceeding 21,589 – more than 57% of the total opportunities created through Bab Rizq Jameel’s programmes. Speaking about this, Abdul Rahman Bin Abdel Aziz Al Fehaid, Executive Director of Bab Rizq Jameel in Saudi Arabia, said that this increase in job opportunities available through the Direct Employment Programme is due to the employment boom in the private sector in Saudi Arabia, in the first half of the year, highlighting the efforts of the Ministry of Labour which, through its programmes that aim to employ job seekers and increase Saudisation in the private sector, has seen great progress in this regard over the past two years. He clarified that the increase in Direct Employment Programme providing guaranteed opportunities in the private sector were more appealing to the youth, making the youth less attracted to other programmes.

The Productive Families projects were in second place, providing 13,612 job opportunities (a percentage of 36% of the total jobs provided), and the Small Projects Financing Programme for Men and Women provided 1,163 job opportunities (1.4% of the total number of job opportunities provided), while the Training Resulting in Employment Programme provided 541 job opportunities (1.45% of the total) and Taxi and Truck Ownership provided 436 job opportunities (1.2%).

Al Fehaid emphasised that the Direct Employment Programme was one of the most active programmes in the first half of the year, and that the number of job opportunities provided by the Bab Rizq Jameel programme in Saudi private sector companies went from 15,766 job positions in the first half of 2013 to more than 21,589 job positions in 2014, out of which 11,534 positions were filled by women, with a percentage of 53% of the total job opportunities created.

He added that the youth were interested in this programme, and that it has successfully provided qualified calibre for national companies and establishments. “This programme,” he added, “introduces young job seekers to job opportunities available in the private sector, and it also introduces companies to qualified calibre searching for jobs through the Bab Rizq Jameel database. Bab Rizq Jameel directly places the candidates in suitable positions within these companies.”

The companies that provided the majority of job opportunities under this programme – Direct Employment – were AlShaye International, Al Hakeer Company, Banda, Zain Telecommunications, and Boba Insurance.

Al Fehaid said that productive families are interested in the services provided to them by Bab Rizq Jameel, as well as the services provided to entrepreneurs who wish to start small businesses. Bab Rizq Jameel was able to provide 14,775 positions for these categories in the first half of the year, which is a 15% drop from last year. Al Fehaid said the reason for this decrease is that most job seekers are more interested in direct employment. He added that the Productive Families Programme provides interest-free loans to groups of 3 to 5 women (one of them has to be elected as the leader). They are then provided with financial support to start their various productive from-home businesses and they would then be able to pay back the loan within the year, with no interest. The programme includes a number of phases, and every woman in the group is given a SR 2000 (in the initial phase) to a SR 6000 interest-free loan.

The programme is not based only on funding but also on providing the opportunity for the women to work from home. Al Fehaid added that the youth were also interested in the programme, which supports small businesses, and that it provided 1163 job opportunities for men and women. The programme funds existing or new youth projects, as well as projects of those who have an idea but are lacking the financial support to make it happen. Interest-free loans of up to SR 150,000 are provided for these projects.

The Taxi and Pick-up Truck Ownership Programme provided 436 opportunities during the first half of the year, which was 1.2 % of the total number of opportunities provided. This programme provides job opportunities for the youth through owning a taxi and paying for it through easy installments. Individuals enrolled in the scheme gain ownership of the vehicle as soon as the payment is completed. The Pick-up Truck Ownership Programme allows the youth to work in the area of transportation. They are given a truck that could be used for transporting goods, vegetables, equipment and passengers.

“Bab Rizq Jameel always strives to innovate and to invest in job opportunities for the Saudi youth,” said Al Fehaid; “and that is why new venues are always explored, such as the Stadium Job Opportunities, which started in 2014 in collaboration with the administration of the Abdul Latif Jameel Professional League.” This programme provides temporary jobs for the youth, who work as sellers during the league. In its first year, the programme made it possible for nearly 217 youth to work as sellers with the public. Al Fehaid said that at the beginning of the next league, the programme will provide more services for the youth and will undergo further developments.

Al Fehaid added that these results are an indication of the great effort that is being put in by the Bab Rizq Jameel team when it comes to researching and innovating job opportunities for the youth. He praised the collaboration between Bab Rizq Jameel and the government and public sectors that are interested in providing job opportunities for the Saudi youth.

It is worth noting that in 2013 Bab Rizq Jameel provided more than 71,000 job opportunities through its various branches all over the Kingdom, and that these results are revised by the Deloitte & Touche Bakr Abulkhair & Company based on the procedures agreed upon between them and Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives.