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His Excellency Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al Rajhi, patronized the Labor Award ceremony in its fifth edition, which was held as part of the activities of the Global Labor Market Conference (GLMC) in its third edition, in the presence of a number of Their Highnesses and Excellencies, and representatives of government agencies, and leaders of the private sector.
His Excellency emphasized that the Labor Award represents an extension of the wise leadership’s vision – may Allah protect it – in supporting the labor sector, enhancing its competitiveness, empowering national competencies, and improving the quality of the work environment. He pointed out that excellence in the labor market is no longer an organizational option, but a strategic direction adopted by establishments aware of their developmental role. He clarified that the fifth edition of the award witnessed unprecedented participation, with more than 216,000 establishments competing for 37 awards across five main tracks: “Localization Track”, “Work Environment Track”, “Occupational Safety and Health Track”, “Skills and Training Track”, and “Chief Executive Officer Track”. These tracks reflect the priorities of the Saudi labor market and align with economic transformations and the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. His Excellency explained that the award was designed as a comprehensive incentive tool for the private sector, contributing to increasing qualitative localization rates, improving work environments, investing in skill development, and building executive leadership capable of driving institutional change. He affirmed that the private sector remains the key partner in economic development and in creating high-quality job opportunities.
The Minister of Human Resources and Social Development highlighted the qualitative transformations achieved by the Saudi labor market over recent years, noting that the participation of Saudi nationals in the private sector has risen to 53%, bringing their total number to approximately 2.5 million employees.
His Excellency drew attention to the remarkable growth in women’s participation in the labor market, which reached 34.5%, compared to 23% in 2020. He also noted the expansion of skills development programs and human capital building, the launch of the National Training Campaign (Waad), and the activation of sectoral skills councils, all of which enhance the alignment of educational outcomes with labor market needs. Furthermore, he pointed out the Ministry’s adaptation to modern work patterns, such as flexible work, freelancing, and remote work, which have contributed to providing more flexible and sustainable job opportunities, supporting labor market stability, and increasing productivity.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, His Excellency Recognized the organizations that won the Labor Award in its fifth edition, praising their commitment to job quality, skills development, and improving the work environment, and affirming that these organizations exemplify the competitiveness and talent-attractiveness that the Saudi labor market aims to achieve. He expressed his gratitude to all participating entities and the teams that contributed to the success of the ceremony, congratulated the winning organizations, and wished everyone success in contributing to the achievement of Saudi Vision 2030 objectives.
