The Ministry of Labor and Social Development identified 8 specialties in demand in the Saudi labor market that are suffering from a low number of students available for these jobs, at a time when the labor market is experiencing a large surplus of students available for four other specialties.

The ministry considered the weak alignment of educational outputs with labor market needs as one of the top five challenges facing the Saudi market, including the low female participation rate in the labor market, which its data described as "very low" in most sectors compared to Gulf countries and similar countries worldwide.

The list of specialties with a surplus in supply and low professional demand included Sharia, Islamic studies, Arabic language, and humanities. Data from the Ministry of Labor and Social Development – a copy of which the newspaper obtained – considered that specialties with a surplus of students in low-demand professions are a potential source of unemployment and require joint efforts with other ministries to shift students' focus to required fields.

The list of high professional demand included 8 specialties, most of which are in the scientific field: engineering of all types, education, nursing, computer science and information technology, medicine, pharmacy, medical technology, and accounting and finance.

The education sector had the highest female participation rate in the labor market at 35%, but it remained low compared to counterparts in three Gulf countries: Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain, where female participation in the same sector ranged from 55% to 65%. Meanwhile, the health sector ranked second in sectors with Saudi female participation at 18%, while Gulf women's participation in the same sector ranged between 49% and 59%.

5 Challenges Facing the Saudi Labor Market

1 High unemployment rate

2 High occupational exposure

3 Low productivity in the labor market

4 Low female participation rate in the labor market

5 Weak alignment of educational outputs with labor market needs

Percentage of Saudi women's participation in work sectors

Wholesale and retail trade 8%

Construction 3%

Manufacturing 6%

Health 18%

Education 35%

Transport 3%

Tourism 7%

Business 9%

Energy 2%

Agriculture 4%

Other sectors 5%