Business & Money | Saturday 2 January, 2016 4:25 am |

The Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf) has said that 5,389 women have been employed in the field of building and construction (contracting).
Out of 249,197 employment opportunities provided in the sectors, 34 percent were in the commercial sector, 17 percent in the contracting sector, and 16 percent in the private education sector.
Riyadh led with the highest number of training and employment opportunities with more than 115,505, followed by Makkah with 68,890 and the Eastern Province with 40,431 opportunities.
The fund confirmed, in a recent report, that Saudi youths often lack the skills required in the labor market, while a lack of suitable job opportunities for women in their places of residence, and low admission of students to technical and professional colleges hinder employment levels.
Saudi youths more often than not prefer government jobs, citing lack of clear career paths at most private sector companies, while the private sector remains highly dependent on cheap foreign labor.
Among the challenges the fund faces are mismatch between education outputs and labor market needs, as well as poor educational and vocational guidance programs that are integrated in education and training programs.