RIYADH — In terms of women's participation in and contribution to the labor market Saudi Arabia is the fastest growing nations among G20 countries, a recent study has shown. As Saudi Arabia is scheduled to host the forthcoming G20 summit meetings next year, the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) shed focus on the necessity to enable women to get job opportunities, in line with the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030. Overall, Saudi female labor force participation stands at over 20%, compared to 63% for males. The future vision aims to increase women's participation in and contribution to the labor market to 30 percent. KAPSARC'S analysis shows that men's and women's participation and contribution are close, up to the age of 25 years. The difference in the contribution of the two genders appears after completion of the undergraduate stage and joining the labor market. The KAPSARC report showed that 62 percent of women university graduates join the labor market, compared to 89 percent men. The report focuses on how to empower educated Saudi women in the labor market. The study pointed out that the third level education not meeting the skills required by the labor market is one of the reasons for the weak participation and contribution of young women. The study called for an initiative to increase the number of young women who enroll in specializations like sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics, so as to achieve the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030. The King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center is a nonprofit center that conducts independent researches in various fields of energy economies, policies and technologies and the related environmental studies. The center is working hard to find solutions for the more effective use and productivity of energy to achieve local, regional and global socio-economic advancement.
