RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Human Resource Development Fund, known as HADAF, has spent SR3.75 billion ($1 billion) on employment support programs, benefitting 277,000 Saudis during the first nine months of 2022, the latest data from the National Labor Observatory revealed. These employments were given through support services and programs directed to national human cadres, Saudi Press Agency reported. HADAF runs several initiatives including training programs to drive employability among Saudis while supporting establishments in various activities, sectors and professions, as the Kingdom pursues its localization goals outlined in Vision 2030. On Oct. 17, Ahmad Al-Rajhi, Saudi Arabian minister of human resources and social development, said that professional roles in management, procurement and the food sector are considered to be among the 11 localization decisions which will be made by the end of 2022. The minister also noted that the new localization decision will also include roles in the drug industry. Al-Rajhi noted that the localization decisions made by the government have increased the number of Saudis workers in the private sector to 2.12 million. The minister further noted that the localization initiatives in the Kingdom have brought down the unemployment rate of Saudi citizens to 9.7 percent, along with increasing the women"s partnership in the private workforce to 35.6 percent. In September this year, the ministry began its program to localize amusement parts and entertainment sectors to ensure that 70 percent of its workforce is Saudis. The ministry is also eyeing to localize entertainment centers within closed commercial complexes by 100 percent. As localization efforts in Saudi Arabia continue, Finance Minister Muhammad Al-Jadaan issued a ministerial decision amending the terms of consulting services and obligating consulting companies to ensure the percentage of localization is met. According to Vision 2030, enhancing the role of the private sector in the Kingdom is crucial to achieving the goals outlined, as it will reduce unemployment, diminish the gender gap, and bring foreign investments to the nation.