MLSD implements 111,000 inspection rounds on women-only shops, uncovering 87-percent compliance of entities

The Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MLSD) said on Thursday labor inspectors have conducted 111,603 inspection rounds on shopping centers and independent stores in various regions of the Kingdom since 2018 to make sure employers comply with the decision aiming to feminize and nationalize women-only shops in its third phase, which is in cooperation with several government entities. Khaled Abalkhail, spokesman for MLSD, clarified the inspection campaigns uncovered 101,019 law-abiding entities which is equivalent to 87 percent of the total visited shops compared to 10,584 non-compliant ones (13 percent). Abalkhail pointed out the inspection campaigns detected 10,180 violations related to the labor decision, including 5,386 nationalization violations and 3,485 feminization violations during the crackdown. Abalkhail urged customers to report labor market violations or submit inquiries through dialing the customer service No. (19911) or using the ‘Ma3an lil Rasd’ app on smart phones. Meanwhile, the third phase of the decision kicked off on 21st Oct. 2017 to nationalize and feminize shops selling women-only necessities, namely perfumes, shoes, bags, women socks, ready-to-wear cloths, kiosks and women fabrics, in addition to department stores selling women cloths along with other staples. It also targets independent and small stores that sell soiree gowns, wedding dresses, Abaya (cloaks), accessories, Jalabiyas (traditional dresses), mother-care products and pharmacies inside indoor malls with sections that sell accessories and cosmetics. In support of the move, the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) has offered an array of services for female workers, including the children hospitality program ‘Qurrah’ and the transportation program ‘Wusool’ for the working woman in order to increase the number of Saudi women in the workforce.