Ashraf AboArafe
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has recorded qualitative leaps at the global level, achieving advanced ranks in the indicators of flexible work arrangements, the ease of finding skilled employees in the labor market, and equal wages for similar work between the sexes; according to what was announced by the reports issued by the World Economic Forum WEF for the year 2024.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has made many efforts to enhance the Kingdom’s position globally in its field of work, as the Kingdom has advanced in the Flexible Work Arrangements Index by 7 places since 2021; to rank 14th globally for the year 2024, and the Ministry has strengthened the traditional labor market by creating new work patterns, by launching 3 new work patterns programs aimed at encouraging business owners to attract young Saudi job seekers, namely: (flexible work program, freelance work, and remote work), and the three initiatives were able to create more job opportunities for the sons and daughters of the nation.
The launch of the Freelance Work Program is in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development’s endeavor to reach human energies from income seekers, self-employed workers and other citizens in various regions of the Kingdom, and to raise their productivity, skills and experience in suitable, stable and productive work. The program provides a freelance work document for those wishing to practice freelance work, and the model includes several advantages, including: optional registration in social insurance, contracting with government and private entities using the document as an official document, opening a bank account linked to the document, and using digital payment channels.
In the index of ease of finding skilled employees in the local labor market, the Kingdom advanced 3 places since 2021; To rank 4th globally for the year 2024, as the Kingdom, represented by the Ministry, launched many initiatives, programs and decisions that support the training aspect and qualifying national cadres for the labor market, in addition to launching the first phase of the “Professional Verification” service, which comes within the framework of the Kingdom’s ongoing efforts to develop the labor market and raise the efficiency of professional labor. The first phase of the program, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, includes 128 countries, to verify the validity of the qualifications and skills of expatriate workers in those countries. In the Gender Gap Report, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia advanced two places in the wage equality index for similar work between the sexes since 2023 to rank 13th globally for the year 2024, and the share of women in the labor market increased, as the index recorded (34.1%) in the first quarter of 2024. The economic participation rate of Saudi women over the age of 15 reached (35.8%) in the first quarter of 2024, as a result of expanding partnerships with various sectors; With the aim of creating more opportunities and increasing the number of beneficiaries of parallel training and other initiatives that support women’s empowerment in the labor market Work, and the percentage of women in senior and middle management positions increased to (43.8%) in the first quarter of 2024, and the Ministry continues to work to raise the target of women’s participation to 40% during the coming period.
These efforts and others contributed to strengthening the Kingdom’s global position, and confirming its ability to change the reality of the labor market; as the Kingdom achieved for the first time a record number of Saudis working in the private sector, jumping from 1.7 million workers in 2019 to more than 2.3 million workers in 2024, in addition to the decline in the unemployment rate to 7.6% in the first quarter of 2024.
