WORKING WOMEN
One of the key ambitions of the government's Vision 2030 includes encouraging female participation in the labor market, and progress—though a long road—is already underway.
Introducing new job opportunities for women and increasing female employment rates to 30%, as well as emphasizing their leading role in the socio-economic development, is a major part of the Vision's plan. As of 2016, female employment in the Kingdom stood at 22%, and women are typically employed in a limited range of sectors, such as education.
Some of the major challenges that the government is facing on its way to female labor empowerment include creating a suitable work environment, given the country's laws on gender-mixing. Compounding this challenge, women have historically found difficulties entering the workforce due to not being able to drive and guardianship laws. Though in recent years, the government has introduced unprecedented regulatory changes to encourage women's participation in the labor market.
Namely, it has expanded the list of sectors in which females can work to include pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality, and law. Likewise, in May 2017, a royal decree officially relaxed guardianship laws to allow women to seek employment without the permission of their male guardian. Additionally, the government pushed a requirement for companies with over 15 female employees that they must have a child care center and increase maternity leave to 10 weeks.
As so much of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 focuses on enabling growth in the private sector, a large part of these reforms will specifically target female employment in this segment. As such, the government has partnered with companies like Glowork, whose task is to connect highly educated Saudi women to various job opportunities. The firm hires 28 women daily and interviews 4,000 women weekly, on average. Speaking exclusively to TBY, Glowork's CEO Khalid Alkhudair explained that the company “was among the first to hire women in the retail industry five years ago. We have also managed to establish a virtual office tool for women living in rural areas to work remotely, which is now a part of Vision 2030. Today, as many as 200,000 women work from their homes in the private sector. Currently, Glowork is working on an online application which would allow women to be hired through social media platforms, based on data from their social network activities.”
The Saudi government has also created fertile ground for an entertainment industry, which is opening new possibilities for Saudi women in screenwriting, film production, and animation. This spring, the Jeddah-based Effat University is having its first graduating class of female filmmaker bachelor's degree holders in visual and digital production. The all-female university's program is developing Saudia Arabia's budding film industry, and graduates should occupy about 30% of available film production jobs. Those who do not enter existing positions will likely create their own companies, also becoming entreprenurs or working as freelancers.
The finance industry is also seeing progress towards women's increased participation in the workforce. Within a one-week timespan in February 2017, three top jobs in banking and finance were filled by women. Samba Financial Group, one of Saudi Arabia's top banks, appointed Rania Nashar as CEO; Arab National Bank appointed Latifa Al Sabhan as CFO; and the country's stock exchange named Sarah Al Suhaimi as chairman. Al Suhaimi is also the CEO of NCB Capital investment bank.
However, women in influential positions are not enough, and more needs to be done to address the gender-gap in employment. In addition to addressing legislation to allow women to seek employment, women need to further develop their skills before entering the work force. Approximately 60% of all university graduates are women, and according to Glowork's CEO, many of them have difficulties finding jobs because they do not possess the right skill set to apply their knowledge from academia into the workforce. In other words, universities need to cater their programs to better meet women's professional needs. Women's increased productivity and participation will spark investments and job creation, contributing to Saudi Arabia's economy and Vision 2030.
WORKING WOMEN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Column
YB Pehin Dato Lim Jock Seng, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office & Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Brunei
TBY talks to YB Pehin Dato Lim Jock Seng, Minister at the Prime Minister's Office & Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Brunei, on the sector.
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A Crude Awakening
The Kingdom has made renewables a critical aspect of its ambitious Vision 2030 effort to diversify its economy and wean itself from a strictly carbon-based diet, not to mention empower local businesses and individuals to take up the mantle and lead the energy sector into the next generation.
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Abdulaziz AbdulKarim, Vice President of Procurement & Supply Chain Management (PSCM) , Saudi Aramco,
TBY talks to Abdulaziz AbdulKarim, Vice President of Procurement & Supply Chain Management (PSCM) at Saudi Aramco, on the IKTVA program, supporting local content, and looking back over a successful year.
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Ayman Abdullah Alfallaj, CEO, Thiqah
TBY talks to Ayman Abdullah Alfallaj, CEO of Thiqah, on how the private sector can keep pace with the speed of public reforms, delivering a strong and lasting value proposition, and integrating the fruits of privatization into the public sector.
read articleFocus: Technology Investments
Investment Calling
A technological revolution is underway in the Kingdom. Already one of the most tech-savvy nations in the Middle East, the Saudi market has long sought a thriving domestic technology and innovation scene. And with Vision 2030, it is on course to deliver just that.
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A Hejaz Unhindered
An ambitious series of road and rail projects from the Jordanian border down to the Indian Ocean are slated to open in part before the end of 2017. They bring the Kingdom that much nearer to its goal of greater non-carbon-based economic integration with the world.
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Sulaiman bin Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Former Minister of Transport and Minister, Civil Service
TBY talks to Sulaiman bin Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Former Minister of Transport and current Minister of Civil Service, on an attractive legislative framework for investment, railway linkages, and port developments.
read articleInterview
Rumaih M. Al-Rumaih, President, Public Transport Authority (PTA
TBY talks to Rumaih M. Al-Rumaih, President of Public Transport Authority (PTA) & Acting President of Saudi Railway Organization, on teaming up with commercially committed partners, making sure the Kingdom's land and sea bridges are of the first order, and providing employment for all the Kingdom's inhabitants.
read articleInterview
Nabeel M. Al-Amudi, President, Saudi Ports Authority, and Minister of Transport
TBY talks to Nabeel M. Al-Amudi, Minister of Transport, and President of Saudi Ports Authority, on optimally restricting concession agreements, resolving bottlenecks in the logistics chain, and privatizing as rapidly as possible.
read articleInterview
Khaled Bin Abdullah Al Hogail, CEO & Managing Director , Saudi Public Transport Company (SAPTCO)
TBY talks to Khaled Bin Abdullah Al Hogail, CEO & Managing Director of the Saudi Public Transport Company (SAPTCO), on the importance of strong and rational regulations, knowledge transfers, and unifying public and private transportation networks.
read articleInterview
Imad El-Zein, CEO, Auto World-Sixt Saudi Arabia
TBY talks to Imad El-Zein, CEO of Auto World-Sixt Saudi Arabia, on growing market share in challenging circumstances, partnering with world-class players to boost its local presence, and combining better services with lower costs.
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Saleh H. Al-Ghamdi, Acting CEO, Saudi Air Navigation Services Company (SANS)
TBY talks to Saleh H. Al-Ghamdi, Acting CEO of Saudi Air Navigation Services Company (SANS), on maximizing safe and effective services, effectively increasing the rate of Saudization, and easing the pathway of women into the workforce.
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Khalil Kutubkhanah, CEO, Jeddah Development and Urban Regeneration Company (JDURC)
TBY talks to Ibrahim Khalil Kutubkhanah, CEO of Jeddah Development and Urban Regeneration Company (JDURC), on Jeddah's unplanned settlements, the company's redevelopment projects, and its partnership model with the private sector.
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Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Shaibani, Deputy Minister, Planning and Health & Director of the Vision Realization Office
TBY talks to Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Shaibani, Deputy Minister for Planning and Health & Director of the Vision Realization Office, on reforms within the Ministry of Health, the corporatization of healthcare provision, and transformations in care delivery.
read articleInterview
Mohanad A. Dahlan, CEO, University of Business and Technology (UBT) Company
TBY talks to Mohanad A. Dahlan, CEO of University of Business and Technology (UBT) Company, on the evolution of the company, education investments, and upcoming sectors that will need support from the sector.
read articleFocus: Universities
Broad and Deep
As part of the continuing decentralization of higher education in Saudi Arabia, individual universities are pursuing their own paths to grow their faculties, engage with various international stakeholders, and ultimately move toward a more privatized future.
read articleInterview
Rafique Izhiman, Area General Manager KSA Jeddah, Yanbu Hotels
TBY talks to Rafique Izhiman, Area General Manager KSA Jeddah/Yanbu Hotels & General Manager, Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG), Jeddah, on the role the firm plays in the market, expanding its footprint in the country, and expectations for 2017.
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