Job alert: 46,000 jobs to come up in Saudi

Riyadh - The entertainment sector in the Kingdom is targeting 250,000 permanent jobs until 2030.

Riyadh Season festival, the three-month mega entertainment event, set to kick off in full swing, will generate 46,000 seasonal jobs for Saudis.
The festival begins on October 17 and will run until December 15, to witness 3,000 events and support services taking place all over Riyadh.  
"There has been huge turnout of sponsors for the event. Around 80 per cent of the target has been achieved with generating around SR400 million and this was unprecedented," said Turki Al Sheikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and head of the Riyadh Season, during the opening session of Joy Entertainment Industry Forum on Sunday.
Al Sheikh added that the entertainment sector in the Kingdom is targeting 250,000 permanent jobs until 2030. "There has been no withdrawal of organisers or participants of events thanks to the great confidence in the Kingdom's economy," Al Sheikh was quoted in Saudi Gazette.
Speaking at the inauguration, Minister of Economy and Planning Dr. Mohammed Al Tuwaijri said, "Saudi Arabia has begun its journey towards attracting investors. It is in a global competition to attract global investors." Adding that there are many options for investors and consumers, Al Tuwaijri said, "The tourism sector, including entertainment, represents 10 per cent of the global economy and that the development of infrastructure, regulations, legislation and incentives will work to attract investors in the tourism and entertainment sector."
Abdullah Al Sawaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, who was also present at the forum said the telecommunications sector contributes about 4 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
"The gaming and digital content industry will change dramatically through augmented reality technologies," Al Sawaha said, adding that the Saudi market now ranks 19th in the world and first in the Middle East.
The GEA signed a number of memoranda of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, King Abdulaziz University (KAU) and Kafala Program for financing of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

• Saudi Arabia