Saudi Arabia: Women in work has ‘doubled’ to over 35% of labour force

Riyadh has introduced reforms to remove barriers to female employment

Hanadi Hindi from Saudi Arabia gives the thumbs up as she sits in the cockpit of the American Piper Archor 2000 plane before take off at Marka airport in Amman April 30, 2003. The first ever Saudi woman pilot Hanadi Hindi currently training in Jordan, said flying had given her freedom from conservative traditions and she hopes that women from Saudi Arabia would enjoy one day. Reuters

A woman journalist films the announcement of election results 11 February 2005 for the Riyadh Municipal Council in Saudi Arabia where pro-Islamists candidates emerged a the triumphant block in the landmark elections. EPA

Saudi women work at National Center for Security Operations 911 headquarters in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia August 6, 2019. Reuters

Saudi Rodina Maamoun, who employed 19 young women almost entirely replacing the men, sells jewellery at a retail store in Riyadh's Hayat mall on February 19, 2020. For decades, straitlaced Saudi society offered limited opportunities for paid work to women. The few who found jobs were mostly restricted to the health and education sectors. An oppressive "guardianship" system also gave male relatives the right to object to women' professional aspirations. But change came in mid-2016 when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unveiled his "Vision 2030" plan aimed at diversifying the kingdom's economy and ending its addiction to oil. AFP

Enaam Gazi al-Aswad, 43, one of the first female drivers hired by the ride sharing company Careem but waiting for Saudi license to be issued by the government, applies lipstick inside her car at a company's office in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia June 24, 2018. Reuters

Saudi women work at a dates packaging factory in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, September 10, 2020. Reuters

A Saudi woman works inside the first all-female call centre in the kingdom's security sector, in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia August 29, 2017. Reuters

Veil-clad female workers process olives at a factory for pickling olives in the Saudi city of Tabuk October 23, 2013. Reuters

Dr Samira al-Ghamdi, a practicing psychologist, drives her car out in her neighborhood while going to work, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia June 24, 2018. Reuters

A Saudi female employee adds price tags to murchandise at a hypermarket, newly launched by the operator LuLu and run by a team of women, in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah, on February 21, 2021. AFP

The number of women with jobs in Saudi Arabia has nearly doubled in the last five years and now stands at over 35 per cent of the workforce, the kingdom said this week.

Abdullah Abuthnain, the Saudi deputy minister of human resources and social development, said on Tuesday that the number of women in work was at "the highest level in the kingdom’s history" as the government seeks to introduce reforms and boost women's rights.

Under Saudi Vision 2030, the authorities are reforming almost every area of society, including a drive to boost the participation of women in the job market.

Since 2018, Saudi Arabia has allowed women to drive, live alone, work outside the home and travel without the permission of a male guardian.

The reforms have benefited about six million Saudi women over the age of 21.

Mr Abuthnain said 51.5 per cent of Saudi adults now participated in the economy, with the number of citizens working in the private sector rising to more than "two million men and women".

He said the Saudi employment market was undergoing strategic reforms that included 25 development initiatives.

“The labour market strategy focuses on adopting occupational standards for more than 200 professions and establishing skills councils for key economic sectors to help in job planning and setting standards for skills,” he said.

Mr Abuthnain said the kingdom would establish training institutions and private sector initiatives to boost the labour market further.

Turki Al Jawini, director general of customer experience at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, said 7,000 women found employment in 2021 with the help of the Tamheer programme, which offers on-the-job training to Saudi women.

At least 51,000 women with jobs have benefited from the kingdom's Wusool programme, which provides transport for employees, he said.

He said a further 3,500 working mothers took advantage of initiatives such as Qurrah, which helps to provide child support.