As many as 5,000 Saudi men and women have taken up jobs in the marketing sector within two months after the decision to Saudize this key employment sector, according to Saad Al-Hammad, spokesman of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD). “The ministry’s target is to Saudize 12,000 jobs in the marketing sector. However, a record number of 5,000 Saudi men and women have come forward to take up jobs in this challenging sector within the last two months,” he said while attending a program titled “Saudi Street” on Saudi Television. Al-Hammad elaborated the ministry’s efforts to Saudize the Kingdom’s marketing sector. “There is an urgent need to localize this sector, especially in light of the great competition in the Saudi market. The localization decision will be mandatory, and penalties will be imposed on establishments that fail to comply with the decision,” he said. Regarding the Saudization of key positions, Al-Hammad said that the ministry has counted the number of experts, specialists and jobseekers in this field. “It is difficult to localize all key positions at least for the time being due to the lack of specialists and experienced people in this field. The ministry is constantly monitoring the employment market to increase employment opportunities in leadership positions in accordance with the volume of demand and supply,” he added.