2,500 fashion jobs to be created for Saudi women over five years

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jun 12, 2017

A Saudi fashion committee has unveiled plans to create more than 2,500 jobs for women in the industry over five years, particularly in the designer fashion sector, reports a local newspaper.

According to the Fashion Designing Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, chaired by Omaima Azzouz, talks with officials have already begun to establish an employment scheme for 2,500 Saudi women.

The initiative will provide new jobs across the fashion industry, but particularly in the luxury designer sector, where investments exceed SR15 billion ($4 billion). The efforts will be rolled out as part of the Saudi government’s National Transformation Program 2020 and Vision 2030.

Arab News reports that the Fashion Designing Committee is working together with the Saudi Ministry of Labor and Social Development in the Makkah region to find small-business entrepreneurs for the creation of new garment-production facilities.

Most women in the fashion and designer clothes sector are entrepreneurs who work individually. “Because they cannot penetrate the industry and set up a production line, we are working to create a conglomerate for each group... with the help of three to five business owners to establish a small factory to produce one... specialized fashion line,” says Omaima Azzouz, who heads the committee.

The new jobs will also include admin and marketing positions.