More and more women are joining the workforce in Saudi Arabia, official data show, as the Kingdom looks to increase female participation in the workforce as part of its Vision 2030 economic and social reforms.
From 215,000 in 2012, the number of women in the private sector jumped to 496,000 in 2016, an average of 8,500 jobs per month, according to reports and the Saudi Ministry of Labor.
Women now represent 30 percent of the private sector workforce, a surge from just 12 percent in 2011. The ministry is working on increasing the percentage of women in the Saudi total workforce (which includes public sector jobs) to 28 percent by 2020.
According to a report in Gulf News, Riyadh has the highest figure in employment opportunities for Saudi women with 203,600 jobs, representing 41 percent of the total number.
While the Kingdom has made gains with increased female participation in the workforce, expats still continue to represent a large portion of the labor force.
11 million foreigners work in Saudi Arabia’s private sector, out of a total population of 31.7 million people.
[Click here for more MoL data as reported in Gulf News]
