RIYADH, Jan 27: Saudi Arabia has banned foreigners under 40 years of age from working in thousands of shops selling female perfumes, accessories and shoes in the kingdom, a newspaper reported on Sunday.

The decision, taken by the interior minister and head of the Manpower Council, Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, is aimed at creating more jobs for Saudi nationals as well as preventing “enticement”, Al-Watan reported.

The move comes just three months after a similar decision banned foreigners under 40 from working in jewellry shops. Expatriate men under 40 are also barred from sales jobs at ladies’ garment shops.

Saudi Arabia imposes a strict segregation of the sexes in most public places including leisure parks and restaurants, many of which ban the entry of women without a legal male companion.

Companies that violate the rules have been threatened with hefty financial fines with deportation for the foreign workers.

The government has launched a campaign to reduce the number of expatriates in the kingdom, estimated at around seven million, to overcome unemployment among Saudis, which experts estimate at more than 15 per cent.

Two laws came into effect in September ordering corner shops to employ only Saudis and private businesses employing more than 20 people to increase the number of Saudi nationals to 30 per cent of the work force.—AFP