Saudi Arabia is undergoing a massive transformation, and that also includes the incredible growth of women in the workforce. If you’re looking for job opportunities or building a career, the kingdom’s evolving landscape offers a truly compelling story.
Just a few years ago, the idea of women as primary earners might have seemed “unthinkable,” as Sundip Patel, co-founder and CEO of AVANA Companies, shares. But today? It’s becoming an everyday reality.
Vision 2030: Opening Doors for Women
This dramatic shift is a direct result of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a powerful government initiative launched in 2016. Its goal is to diversify the economy and society, and a huge part of that means empowering women.
What does that look like on the ground?
- Freedom to Drive & Travel: Women can now drive and travel without a male guardian’s permission.
- Public Interaction: Conversing with men they aren’t married to in public is now common.
- Workplace Inclusion: The once strict segregation between genders in public and the workplace has significantly eased, making it easier for companies to hire women.
- Entrepreneurial Boom: Women no longer need a male guardian’s permission for business loans or to lease office space, leading to a surge in female-led businesses. In fact, 45% of the Kingdom’s small- and medium-sized enterprises are now led by women!
The numbers speak for themselves: women now make up around 36% of the Saudi workforce, a monumental leap from just 17.4% in 2015. This even surpasses Vision 2030’s initial target of 30%!
Where Women Are Thriving
The government is actively pushing for more women in the workforce, with strong support for incubators and academies training female entrepreneurs (like Monsha’at, the Saudi equivalent of the U.S. Small Business Administration).
We’re seeing significant inroads for women in sectors like:
- Retail
- Hospitality
- Teaching
- Health Care
- Civil Service
- Tourism
- Finance (with powerful female leaders like Hana al Rostamani and Shaikha Al-Bahar)
- Tech (due to prior segregation, many learned coding to work remotely)
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The Path Ahead: A Nuanced View
While the progress is “amazing,” as Patel describes, and there’s “a ton of what you would consider liberalization of society,” the journey isn’t without its complexities.
Some social norms take time to evolve. For instance, while women’s participation has soared, it’s hovered between 33% and 36% since 2020. There’s also the ongoing challenge of the gender wage gap, which can be as high as 49% in some areas, according to a study by the Alnahda Center for Research.
Furthermore, while changes like the Personal Status Law in 2022 brought structure, they also reinforced some aspects of the male guardianship system, impacting women’s ability to marry, divorce, or even abstain from sex without a husband’s approval. This can still create a ceiling on economic freedom for some, depending on family dynamics.
And for the significant population of migrant domestic workers, a new Amnesty International report highlights ongoing challenges with “gruelling, abusive and discriminatory working conditions,” as these workers are often excluded from Vision 2030’s labour reforms.
The top ranks of corporate and government roles are still predominantly male, with only a handful of women in senior cabinet positions. The lack of mentorship and networking infrastructure for women also means that levelling up careers can take time.
As Sundip Patel puts it, “Experience is the best teacher. So you need time to groom and cultivate this knowledge.”
Join the Changing Landscape
Despite the hurdles, the transformation in Saudi Arabia is undeniable. For job seekers and professionals, it represents a unique opportunity to be part of a rapidly evolving economy and a society where women’s contributions are increasingly valued and essential.
If you’re considering a career move, explore the growing opportunities in Saudi Arabia and contribute to this remarkable journey of change.
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