Saudi men and women who are beneficiaries of the SR2,000 monthly subsidy paid to them under the Hafiz program will be taken off the program if they refuse to take the jobs offered to them after the first year of the program, local Arabic daily Al-Madinah reported yesterday. It quoted Ibrahim Al-Miakil, director general of the Human Resources Development Fund, for its report.

The Hafiz program does not differentiate between unemployed men and women. All eligible Saudis will benefit from the programs subsidies, he said, warning that any beneficiary will be cut off from the program if he or she refuses to take up jobs offered to him or her. Under arrangements with the ministries of Labor and Finance, the fund pays the monthly assistance to unemployed Saudis. Payments started late November.