Saudi Arabia: Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi has stressed the importance of the Kingdom’s role in the G20 in boosting multilateral cooperation to build strong global economies.

This approach addressed global economic challenges and focused on the main courses of action to build a prosperous economy that achieves the goals and aspirations of member states, along with the prosperity of their people, he said.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency on the Kingdom’s participation in the G20 summit in India, Al-Rajhi said: “The ministry took part in the work undertaken by the G20 employment working group. This came as a continuation of our efforts aimed at supporting the achievement of the G20’s objectives related to addressing the labor and employment issues that are considered a priority, and the joint efforts being exerted by the member states in order to promote employment and improve working conditions.”

Al-Rajhi highlighted the Kingdom’s support of the priorities of the Indian presidency in bridging the global skills gap, and in the participatory economy and social protection platforms as well as the sustainable social security funding. This comes within the main axis of the G20’s work, titled “One Earth, One Family, One Future.”

“During its participation, the ministry showcased Saudi Arabia’s experience in order to enrich the outcomes of the employment working group, as the Kingdom is considered one of the first states that organized and automated self-employment procedures, flexible work and work through platforms,” he said. “It also significantly strengthened the participatory economy, in a pioneering experience as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

“It did so by adopting a highly flexible approach as well as ambitious goals and achievements that keep pace with the constant changes taking place in the labor markets. It also sought to implement a labor market strategy that focuses on skills through a series of different initiatives, particularly the initiative through which it seeks to establish 12 sectoral councils for skills.

“The ministry is currently working on preparing and adopting the national skills strategy, which is fully aligned with the G20’s 2022 skills strategy,” Al-Rajhi said.

“This year, the employment working group approved the outcome documents of the G20 policy priorities on strategies to address skill gaps globally, the G20 policy priorities on adequate and sustainable social protection and decent work for gig and platform workers, along with the G20 policy options for sustainable financing of social protection. These documents were adopted during the labor and employment ministers’ meeting, which was held in India last July, with the active participation of member states, invited states and international organizations,” he said.