His Excellency the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi, has reiterated the integration of the Ministry with the government ecosystem and the private sector to create an economic breakthrough and job opportunities for Saudis. This resulted in an increase in the number of Saudis working in the private sector from (1,7) million in 2019 to (2,3) million in 2023. This represents a record number achieved for the first time, including (361,000) who were previously unemployed.

His Excellency said during his participation today in the Ministerial Panel at  the Real Estate Future Forum in Riyadh, "Before July 2021, we did not have a decision to Saudize the real estate professions and activities. The number of Saudis working in the sector did not exceed 12,000; two years after the implementation of the decision, we have more than 26,000 Saudis working in the real estate sector, an increase of 116%, through 12 multiple real estate professions, including brokerage, sustainable construction, or arbitration". He indicated that these figures prove the efficiency of the Saudi citizen in the labor market, as well as the importance of empowerment and partnership with the private sector to provide job opportunities for young men and women. He expressed his thanks to the real estate development companies that contributed to the creation of these Jobs in the sector.

Minister Al-Rajhi added that the Ministry has contributed to creating more job opportunities for Saudis in the real estate sector, through the establishment of (12) sectoral councils for skill development. This included the Construction and Real Estate Activities Council, as well as the National Training Campaign “WAAD”, with the aim of motivating the private sector to train, with promises of commitment to training reached 1,155,000 training opportunities until the end of the year 2025, including those working in the field of real estate development. He indicated that the Ministry ecosystem has provided a number of incentives and support programs to help private sector establishments to hire Saudis, including the real estate sector, such as on-the-job training (in-house courses at the establishment) with support value of 50% of the salary with a maximum of SR 3,000.

The Minister also stated that the government has 123 programs to provide support and subsidies, the largest of which are the programs related to social security beneficiaries, the persons with disabilities, and the citizen's account. Support from these three programs in 2023 exceeded SR 86 billion. He confirmed that the Ministry is currently working on the "ٍSakan wa Tamkeen” initiative with the aim of encouraging (1,000) families to enroll in empowerment programs, and transform from needy to productive families.

Furthermore, he explained that the number of companies registered in the "National Social Responsibility Platform" is more than 1,100, whose total contribution exceeded SR. 1 billion, within 10 months from the launch of the platform. He added that the housing sector is the most supported by companies, through 21 initiatives worth more than SR 677 million to support housing programs for the most needy groups sponsored by the Ministry.

Minister Al-Rajhi unveiled the increase of non-profit sector organizations from (1,440) before the vision to (4,400), with a growth percentage of 227%. An increase in the number by 30% in 2024 is targeted. He praised the contribution of the non-profit sector, through housing establishments and real estate associations, in supporting the neediest families. Such support included, for example, the agreement between the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, real estate associations and the National Developmental Housing Foundation (Sakan), which resulted in securing 16,000 residential units for ownership by the neediest families.

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