KAPSARC: Saudi Arabia.. The Fastest Growing Female Participation in G20 Labor Market

Ashraf Abo Arafe

A recent study by the King Abdullah Center for Petroleum Studies and Research (KAPSARC) revealed that Saudi Arabia is the fastest-growing country in increasing the participation of women in the labor market among the G-20 countries.

According to the study, the participation of Saudi women in the labor force is estimated to be about 20% compared to 63% for men, and the future vision aims to increase this percentage to 30%. The Kaparsar analysis showed that the participation of women and men remains close to age 25, gender participation after graduation and entry into the labor market.

According to the report issued by the Center, 62% of women graduates of the university stage join the labor market compared to 89% of men, pointing out that the scientific disciplines that do not provide the skills needed by the labor market is one of the reasons for the low participation of girls in the workforce.

The study urged the creation of an initiative to increase the number of girls enrolled in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in order to reach the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

The King Abdullah Petroleum Research and Research Center (KAPSARC) is a non-profit center that conducts independent research in the field of energy economics, policies and techniques of all kinds, and the related environmental studies, and is working on finding solutions for the most efficient and productive use of energy to enable economic and social progress locally, regionally and globally.