His Excellency, the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Engineer Ahmed bin Suleiman Al-Rajhi, today sponsored the thirteenth Social Dialogue Forum organized by the ministry in collaboration with the King Abdulaziz Center for Cultural Communication in Riyadh, under the theme: "Legislation and Government Policies - Insights and Aspirations," with the participation of the International Labour Organization and representatives of the three production parties (government, employers, and workers).
Minister Al-Rajhi affirmed in his speech on this occasion the ministry's commitment to alignment with all its partners in the labor market, considering them a crucial element in success, development, and empowerment. He highlighted the importance of seizing opportunities, addressing challenges, and making decisions that would enhance the efficiency of the labor market, creating a vibrant and empowering society, and fostering a distinguished work environment to support the national economy, in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
Highlighting its strategic initiatives in the labor market, His Excellency reviewed the key achievements, including the Kingdom's attainment of the first position among G20 countries in the worker productivity growth rate for the year 2022, with a growth rate of 4.9%, according to the International Labour Organization. Over the past 12 months, more than 167,000 Saudis entered the workforce through the Nitaqat Al-Mutawir program, bringing the total number of Saudis employed through the program to 480,000. There has also been an increase in the rate of Saudis benefiting from qualitative Saudization decisions. Furthermore, two initiatives were launched: the Skills Accelerator and the Paid Training Vouchers, targeting the training of over 322,000 employees in the private sector across 126 occupations to develop high, medium, and low-level skills for the national workforce. Compliance rates of private sector facilities with labor system regulations reached 92%, while Saudization decisions compliance reached 98%. More than 5 million employment contracts were electronically documented on the Qiwa platform. Additionally, the percentage of amicable resolution of labor disputes increased to 73%, reflecting the acceleration of growth in modern work patterns.
Yousef Ghulab, a representative of the International Labour Organization, commended the efforts of the Kingdom in comprehensive labor market policies and legislation, ensuring alignment with the goals of social partners and the government. He also praised the added value of involving key stakeholders in the legislative process and decision-making.
On another note, Ibrahim Al-Assiri, Deputy Secretary-General of the King Abdulaziz Center for Cultural Communication, highlighted collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. This collaboration, particularly in the Social Dialogue Forum through various stages, from conducting workshops to monitoring, analysis, and report writing using the latest scientific methods, aims to encapsulate the results of these meetings and workshops, along with available implementation mechanisms.
The government delegation to the forum, represented by the Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Policies, Muhannad Al-Issa, the employer delegation led by Dr. Abdulghani Al-Saigh, and the workers' delegation led by Engineer Nasser Al-Jaraid, reviewed the forum's themes and initiatives. They also discussed proposed recommendations related to strengthening partnerships and capitalizing on available opportunities in the labor market.
