Deal to localize 200,000 jobs in transport sector signed

RIYADH: The Ministry of Labor and Social Development, and the General Authority for Transport have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to localize some 200,000 jobs in the car rental and transport sector, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Ahmed bin Saleh Al-Humaidan, deputy minister of labor, and Rumaih Al-Rumaih, president of the General Authority for Transport, signed the deal for their respective parties at the Ministry of Labor on Monday.

According to the deal, training and contractual programs will be implemented in cooperation with agencies specialized in the transport sector.

The deal reportedly seeks to localize jobs in points of sales (POS) of the car rental sector where job opportunities are estimated at more than 10,000.

Work will also continue to allow owners of private cars of Saudi citizens transport passengers on a part- and full-time basis where an estimated 200,000 jobs will be available in this sector in the next three years.

Al-Rumaih said the authority will develop regulatory aspects in support of procedures in transport activities.

He said the authority will



encourage capitals to enter the labor market and most importantly, make it attractive to young Saudis capable of operating and managing the sector.

Sulaiman Al-Hamdan, minister of transport and board chairman of the General Authority of Transport, said the authority would exploit all technical and human means to make the deal a success.

He said his ministry will also make all land transport activities attractive to localization in order to upgrade services and redress negative security faces arising from employment of non-citizens in this sector.

Minister of Labor Ali Al-Ghafis appreciated the partnership between his ministry and the ministry of transport in a manner that will speed up the pace of localization.

The ministry will go ahead with all programs aimed to localize a number of vital economic activities through partnership with the concerned parties, he said.

Gen. Othman Al-Muharraj, director of Public Security, said his department will be fully supportive to the localization drive through its different sectors including police, traffic, security patrols and road security teams.