Call for more skilled jobs to boost local furniture and decor market

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Greater investment in education and training will create skilled jobs in the nation’s furniture and decoration market and help boost sales from local factories.

This is the view of Haya Al-Sinaidy, head of the organizing committee of the decoration and home accessories exhibition, the Deco Fair, which kicks off in Jeddah Nov. 8.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference Sunday, Al-Sinaidy said the local industry needs about 50,000 specialists to help it grow.

“We need to have vocational colleges and training institutions that specialize in furniture production and design,” she said.

The Kingdom needs an industrial city that can cater for this sector of the economy, Al-Sinaidy added.

The Saudi market is currently worth SR4 billion but the local industry produces only SR 1.4 billion in sales annually from 66 factories spread across the nation. There are 42 factories in the Central Region, 11 in the Western Region, 12 in the Eastern Region and one in the Northern Region.

However, Al-Sinaidy said that competition has been increasing between these factories because many have taken advantage of new technology.

She cited Malaysia, China, Indonesia, Syria and Egypt as countries that have well-developed industries and are competing successfully on world markets.

Al-Sinaidy said the Deco Fair would be a welcome boost for the industry.

“Such exhibitions will help us market our products domestically and internationally to impact positively on the Saudi economy. Unlike the imported products that are being advertised all year, our national products still lack such campaigns. Statistics and surveys to determine consumers demands are also absent, she said.

She said the exhibition would also be of interest to architectural engineers and real estate developers.

Some 200 exhibits, 1,000 participants and around 20,000 visitors are expected at the four-day event to be held at the Jeddah International Center for Forums and Events.
 
*Diana Marwan Al-Jassem contributed to this story.