The number of Saudi women who hold key posts in the labor market has surged to 1,707, according to a recent report by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD).
This achievement is a result of the leadership training and guidance initiative for women cadres under Saudi Vision 2030. The figure exceeds the Vision 2030 target of 1,000 women in key positions, reported the Saudi Gazette.
Saudi Women Participation
In its latest report, the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development revealed that the initiative titled “Developing productive projects for those who want to practice self-employment” has benefited a total of 320 women during 2023, surpassing its target of 310 beneficiaries.
According to the Ministry, Saudi women have made notable progress in the labor market in 2023. The share of women in the labor market has reached 34%, climbing from 21.2% in 2017.
Furthermore, the rate of women economic participation more than doubled during the same period, rising from 17% to 35.5%. Moreover, the percentage women in middle and senior administrative positions increased from 28.6% to 43.8%.
More Beneficiaries
The HRSD report also highlighted the impact of Saudization efforts on the labor market. It pointed out that the rate of Saudization in highly-skilled jobs has grown to 39.6% of total jobs in 2023, exceeding the target of 36% and bringing it closer to reach the target of 40% by 2025.
The Ministry said that the transformation initiatives have empowered a significant number of Saudi women. As a result, about 234,000 Saudi women have benefited from the Wusool transportation support program, and 1.6 million have benefited from the vocational guidance initiative for school students.
In addition, the HRSD announced the completion of the phases of the parallel training project for 2023-2024, which brings the number of female trainees to 15,000, with a 100% completion rate.
Training Programs
As part of the Ministry’s efforts to prepare Saudi youth for participation in the labor market, over 16,000 trainees, both male and female, participated in 49 high-skilled sector programs, under the Skills Accelerator Program.
This Program covers sectors such as tourism, retail, manufacturing and logistics services, health and social work, energy, mining, electricity and gas, information and communications technologies, and financial and insurance activities.
The Skills Accelerator Program pays attention to enhancing the efficiency of Saudi private sector employees. It targets industries that have the greatest impact on the Saudi economy. These programs that focus on bolstering self-employment and specialized skills development have benefited over 10,000 individuals.
