Insights Saudi Arabia's transformation: what does it mean for women in the workplace?
For as long as most people will remember, Saudi Arabia has been known for its gender imbalance in the workforce. In 2018, as few as 19.7% of women with Saudi citizenship were in employment or were actively looking to join the working world, according to The Brookings Institution.
Now with the socio-economic transformation underway, empowered by Vision 2030 which aims to enhance the quality of life and raise citizens’ aspirations, more females are participating in the workforce and Brookings are defining this movement as a “spectacular surge”.
How is this defining the Kingdom’s workforce?
It was His Royal Highness Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, also known as MBS, who was eager to encourage more women to seek employment that spurred these policy changes, and it was recognised as a triumph when the figures revealed that 22.1% of Saudi females from the age of 15 were active in the workforce by the following year.
Saudi Arabia built its wealth by tapping into its abundant oil reserves. However, as the world prepares for a greener future, MBS has started to explore new avenues to boost the Kingdom’s economy. The empowerment of Saudi Arabian women is at the heart of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reform program, with far-reaching social and economic goals including increasing women’s economic participation rate from 17% to 25% this year. This will of course lead to far more women joining the workforce to support the vision.
Today, seeing men and women working alongside each other has played a huge part in organisations hiring and promoting talent based on qualifications and skills, not gender. As a result, more Saudi women are now working in engineering, construction, retail, hospitality, and military sectors and, more importantly, taking on managerial positions.
What does this mean for the future of the AtkinsRéalis Group, including Atkins and Faithful+Gould in Saudi Arabia?
Increasing the participation of females in the workforce has delivered a knock-on effect and fuelled the country’s transformation that was already gaining momentum. This is providing more opportunities for the younger generation, especially women, encouraging them to play a more significant role in the business world.
AtkinsRéalis Lavalin has been able to leverage this shifting workforce in a number of ways. Since women are now able to drive, we have seen an increased number of female employees driving to work and they have embraced the new freedom and flexibility this has offered them to pursue their chosen careers. Over the last two years, we have seen an increase in job applications from Saudi females of 23%. Saudi female graduates are increasingly looking to the private sector for employment and long-term career opportunities.
So, what does the transformation mean for AtkinsRéalis ’s core markets and what are we doing to ensure we have an inclusive and equitable workplace for Saudi females?
“There used to be a separation in workplace between men and women. This has changed over the last 10 years, especially for big companies and organizations. Not only this, but also in terms of deployment, companies are now basing hiring on qualification and skills, not gender.” – Razan Alfnissan, Management Accountant
“The transformation has had an impact on AtkinsRéalis 's core markets; the business network has diversified in the workplace and created more opportunities for women. It has
ignited female entrepreneurship and innovation within Saudi Arabia, which aligns with our company’s commitment to foster an inclusive culture that promotes gender equality and supports women’s professional development, skills and knowledge throughout their career.” – Maram Alsaran, HR Advisor
How has Covid-19 impacted the progress?
The pandemic was a difficult time for everyone. Despite the challenges - past, present and future - according to KPMG, 47% of female leaders in Saudi are hopeful that Covid-19 won’t have derailed the progress the nation was making on the diversity and inclusion front.
KPMG’s Female Leaders Outlook 2020 spoke to women in leadership roles around the world, including those in Saudi Arabia. The survey revealed that 73% of Saudi female leaders believe their successors are likely to be female. This paints a very promising picture for the future of Saudi Arabia and an even more promising one when compared to the 53% of females internationally who believe it’s likely they’ll be succeeded by another female.
Why equality, diversity and inclusion matter to us
At AtkinsRéalis , we make sure that everyone has an equal voice. We believe in respecting and empowering our people and creating an environment where everyone is encouraged to contribute. Ensuring that everyone feels encouraged to share their ideas isn't just the right thing to do, we believe it drives innovation and improvement. This is why we're always actively looking to diversify our talent pools.
Learn more about equality, diversity and inclusion at AtkinsRéalis and how we’re creating a culture we can be proud of.
Interested? Find out more about life at AtkinsRéalis
Sign up to receive the latest content tailored to your interests
Our articles
Preview
USAContent type
BlogsPublish date
05/02/2024
Summary
The structural engineering market is experiencing rapid changes, with Net Zero goals, advanced technology, and environmentally conscious building practices becoming the new bread and butter of t
Preview
USAContent type
BlogsPublish date
05/01/2024
Summary
Hydraulic engineering is a branch of civil engineering that specializes in building hydraulic engineering designs—‘hydraulic’ stemming from the Ancient Greek word for water. Hydraulic power, the
Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/30/2024
Summary
In an ambitious and far-reaching declaration, Saudi Arabia has proudly announced 2024 as the 'Year of the Camel', a tribute to these timeless creatures that embody the heart of Arabian heritage
Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/29/2024
Summary
As a hub of diversity and multiculturalism, the UAE boasts a thriving economy with rapidly growing infrastructure. Steering away from a reliance on oil and toward cutting-edge innovation, the UAE is
Preview
EuropeContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/29/2024
Summary
Meet Tom from our D&AT (Design & Advanced Technology) team. He's an associate at AtkinsRéalis who has built an exciting career on diverse and career-defining projects, including work on the Lo
by
Shailaja Mantha
Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/26/2024
Summary
By implementing reforms in the public sector and wider society, the KSA’s Vision 2030 has greatly improved government efficiency, bringing about new growth and investment opportunities. What is Visio
Preview
IndiaContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/25/2024
Summary
In the ever-evolving landscape of professional endeavours, finding a workplace that feels like your safe space is a rare gem. AtkinsRealis stands as a beacon in this regard, where talents not only
Preview
IndiaContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/25/2024
Summary
In the ever-evolving landscape of urban drainage modelling, AtkinsRéalis stands as the leaders with large highly skilled urban drainage modellers. Our focus on serving our clients around urban dra
Preview
CanadaContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/25/2024
Summary
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the skill of managing constantly changing environments has become more and more important. New construction project management software offers innovativ
Preview
AustraliaContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/24/2024
Summary
In a momentous shift, SNC-Lavalin has transitioned to AtkinsRéalis, marking a new era of innovation, collaboration, and excellence in engineering consultancy. With this rebrand comes a fresh persp
Preview
IndiaContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/23/2024
Summary
As Mumbai continues to evolve and expand, the demand for sustainable infrastructure and cutting-edge technology has never been more pressing. At the forefront of this transformative journey is Atk
Preview
EuropeContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/22/2024
Summary
Hi there! I'm Paul, a civil engineer with over 25 years of experience specializing in networks and drainage engineering. My role at AtkinsRéalis spans managing projects, directing major initia
by
Shailaja Mantha
AtkinsRéalis
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We’re devoted to growing the diversity of our people, promoting an inclusive culture, providing everyone with an equal voice because simply put, it’s the right thing to do. Click to learn more.
Find out more