Saudi Arabia aims to double gold production 10 times, offers 50,000 job opportunities for nationals: official

Khaled Al-Mudaifer, Vice Minister for Mining Affairs at the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources

Khaled Al-Mudaifer, Vice Minister for Mining Affairs at the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, said the Kingdom has six gold mines, and the mining strategy aims to double gold production 10 times compared to 2015.

Al-Mudaifer told a TV show that there are six mines under construction, the largest of which is Mansourah-Masarah on Riyadh-Taif Road, which includes huge minerals investments exceeding SAR 3-4 billion.

He added that 50,000 job opportunities were offered for nationals, including 20,000 opportunities in mines and 30,000 in metal factories. “30% of the job opportunities were offered for undergraduates and 70% for technicians.”

The Kingdom offered 1,400 jobs six months ago, and is currently employing other 1,400 persons in mines. The technicians dominate the largest number of jobs offered for operating mines, equipment and factories. As for the jobs offered for undergraduates, they include engineering, mining, artificial intelligence, cyber security, and data analysis.

The Kingdom's sales of phosphate fertilizers are less than six million tons, amounting to SAR 10 billion, adding, along with ammonia, SAR 14 billion to the local gross domestic product (GDP), Al-Mudaifer concluded.