Saudi Arabia Triples Female Employment in 10 Years

In just ten years, Saudi Arabia transformed its labor market so completely that the share of women unwilling to work dropped from 49% to just 12%.

The Global Labor Market Conference released "A Decade of Progress" with the World Bank Group, comparing 2015 data to 2025 and revealing sweeping changes since Saudi Vision 2030 launched. The numbers tell a story of rapid social and economic transformation that surprised even international observers.

Female employment nearly tripled over the decade, rising from 11% to 32%. Even more striking, employment among mothers surged from just 8% to 45%. Young people saw similar gains, with youth employment jumping from 10% to 33% while the share of youth not in school, work, or training fell from 40% to 25%.

The private sector became the engine of job creation. By mid-2025, over half of Saudi citizens now work in private companies rather than government positions. This represents a fundamental shift in a country once known for public sector dominance.

National unemployment plummeted to 2.8% by 2025, as people who previously stayed out of the workforce moved directly into jobs. The overall labor force participation rate reached 67.1%, capturing what researchers call a "demographic dividend" as more citizens joined the productive economy.

Perhaps most revealing are the attitude shifts. The share of jobseekers exclusively targeting public sector work dropped from 60% to 10% for men and from 48% to 22% for women. Workers increasingly seek private sector opportunities, showing that preferences now match available jobs.

Micro-enterprises flourished, growing from 6% to 26% of total employment. Meanwhile, the match between workers' education and their actual jobs improved from 41% to 62%, meaning fewer people feel stuck in roles that don't use their skills.

The Ripple Effect

This transformation offers lessons for countries worldwide facing similar workforce challenges. Cristobal Ridao-Cano from the World Bank noted that "knowledge attained from Saudi Arabia's transformation model can be transferred to other countries" working on economic diversification.

Social norms evolved alongside policy changes. Acceptance of women working in mixed-gender workplaces increased substantially, directly enabling more women to join private companies and expanding opportunities that simply didn't exist a decade ago.

The report emphasizes that sustained public-private collaboration and continued investment in skills development will keep momentum going as the economy continues diversifying and adapting to rapid technological change.

A decade of deliberate reform shows that major workforce transformations are possible when policies align with changing social attitudes and economic realities.