The spectacular surge of the Saudi female labor force (lesson for Pakistan)

[Corruptistan]

The spectacular surge of the Saudi female labor force​

Sofia Gomez Tamayo, Johannes Koettl, and Nayib Rivera Wednesday, April 21, 2021

For decades, Saudi Arabia had one of the lowest female labor force participation rates in the world. In 2018, the share of Saudi women who had a job or were actively looking for one was 19.7 percent of the adult population of women with Saudi citizenship, our focus group for this blog (we are not considering the large expatriate population as they display a vastly different labor market behavior). In the years before that, the rate was much lower and had only recently started to slowly increase (see Figure 1). The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) had always lagged behind the rest of the world when it came to women and the labor market, but even by those standards, the Saudi rate was lagging considerably.

But in the last couple of years, something has been changing. In a relatively short time span of just two years, the labor force participation rate of Saudi women increased from 20 percent in late 2018 to 33 percent by the end of 2020—that is to say that the share of Saudi women in the labor market expanded by an incredible 64 percent in just two years!



Women of all ages are joining the labor force at higher rates. Between the end of 2018 and the end of 2020, the largest increases happened among Saudi women between the ages of 40 and 54 with increases of more than 20 percentage points. Most of the other age groups displayed an increase of at least 10 percentage points. Only at the fringes of the labor market—the youngest and the oldest workers—the increase was smaller, from about 3 to 5 percentage points. Another driver of this impressive growth is middle-skilled women. Those with secondary education experienced an almost threefold increase in participation—from 9 to 25 percent—during this period. Women with primary and intermediate education also entered the labor market at significant levels, increasing their participation rates by almost 10 and 12 percentage points, respectively.

Importantly, this inflow of Saudi women into the labor force did not translate into more unemployment, to the contrary. In practice, new entrants to the labor market usually spend the first couple of weeks or even months looking for work—so they are part of the labor force, but they are unemployed, potentially increasing the unemployment rate. Nevertheless, what we observe in Saudi Arabia, is that many of these women joining the labor market are finding work quickly. The employment rate—the share of the labor force that has a job—of Saudi women has been steadily increasing from 68 to 76 percent between the end of 2018 and 2020; and the female unemployment rate has decreased, from 32 to 24 percent. Maybe even more importantly, this increase in employment was not driven by the government hiring Saudi women. It was genuine private-sector-led employment growth. Between the beginning of 2019 and the end of 2020, public sector employment of Saudi women increased by only 5 percent (Figure 2). Private sector employment of Saudi women, on the other hand, grew among most economic activities, with the majority showing an increase of over 10 percent. Female employment in labor-intensive sectors such as construction, manufacturing, and accommodation and food grew by 9, 14, and 40 percent, respectively.

What could be the reasons for these dramatic changes in Saudi Arabia? While we have no definite answers yet, one should not underestimate the potential impact of the many reforms that made it easier for women to work over the last few years. These reforms ranged from allowing women to drive cars (crucial for being able to commute to work) to changes in the guardianship law, in the labor law, and in family law, among many others.
Saudi Arabia was, in fact, a top performer in the World Bank's Women, Business and Law Report 2021 https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/35094
It seems that these reforms are starting to pay off. After all, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reform program has an explicit objective to increase the female labor force participation rate to over 30 percent. For now, it looks like this objective was achieved 10 years early.

The spectacular surge of the Saudi female labor force

Sofia Gomez Tamayo, Johannes Koettl, and Nayib Rivera detail growth in Saudi women's entry into the labor market over the past two years.

www.brookings.edu

Lessons for Pakistan that reforms are very much realistic if there is a political will to change regardless of sect or political outlook. At the end of the day most people regardless of gender want to be independent.

 

[Corruptistan]

Saudi Arabia went from this:

to this within a few years:

Saudi Princess Hana bint Khalid bin Saud Al-Faisal, a model, displays latest collection of abayas (Arabic female dresses) by Saudi Princess Safia Hussain, during a fashion show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 23, 2021. (Reuters)

Abaya fashion show illustrates Saudi cultural transformation | | AW

Donning chic neck-to-toe abayas, models saunter in high heels around a swimming pool in a glitter-filled fashion show staged in the unlikeliest of places: Saudi Arabia.

thearabweekly.com

A massive rave took place in a Saudi desert. It was just like any other festival, bar the electronic music pausing for the Islamic call to prayer, say reports

David Guetta performed at MDLBEAST Soundstorm — a music festival on the outskirts of Riyadh in the socially conservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

www.insider.com

And yet the world did not collapse, Islam did not disappear etc.

Only the removal of a few clerical dinosaurs and strong leadership was needed to make the necessary reforms. Nothing extreme.

 

[Wergeland]

If this is what saudi women wants and thinks will make them happy, then good for them.

Saudi TFR was 2.2 in 2019
What is it now and what will it be in 2030?

BTW the most independent people on earth are gays. They are even independent from having kids or any duty to any other individual ( yes i am grossly generalizing). They can if they want, change partner on a whim and who is to say its wrong? Religion?!

Modernism is the death of the soul and we are all its prisoners.

 

[jamal18]

If this is what saudi women wants and thinks will make them happy, then good for them.

Saudi TFR was 2.2 in 2019
What is it now and what will it be in 2030?

BTW the most independent people on earth are gays. They are even independent from having kids or any duty to any other individual ( yes i am grossly generalizing). They can if they want, change partner on a whim and who is to say its wrong? Religion?!

Modernism is the death of the soul and we are all its prisoners.

The West promotes gays.

So if Pakistan promotes gays, we too will become prosperous like the West...?

 

[Corruptistan]

If this is what saudi women wants and thinks will make them happy, then good for them.

Saudi TFR was 2.2 in 2019
What is it now and what will it be in 2030?

BTW the most independent people on earth are gays. They are even independent from having kids or any duty to any other individual ( yes i am grossly generalizing). They can if they want, change partner on a whim and who is to say its wrong? Religion?!

Modernism is the death of the soul and we are all its prisoners.

Saudi Arabia has a healthy birth rate. They have very large families in general, I would not trust those numbers. The Saudi Arabian TFR is more likely around 3.0.

Saudi Arabia nowadays has a very healthy blend between ancient culture and practices, Islam and modernism. Nothing extreme in either way. Honestly this is the best solution.

I don't think many locals in KSA want the Sahwa era back.

Sahwa movement - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The important thing here is to not go overboard but I don't see any signs of that at all.

The ideas behind Saudi Vision 2030 should be followed by the entire Muslim world. It would give rise to strong, confident and independent Muslim states.

Islam is a sophisticated religion, a religion of science, tolerance and the most capitalistic religion out there to date of the old ones. For too long have dinosaurs among Mullah's been hijacking it. I love that MbS is trying to reform in a good way.

The West promotes gays.

So if Pakistan promotes gays, we too will become prosperous like the West...?

Muslims have historically been far more tolerant towards that than Christians/West. Have you seen some of the Ottoman and Safavid art for instance? Not sure about Arab art, maybe they shunned this part, but when I first saw that (filth in my eyes but whatever) I was shocked.

 

[Wergeland]

The West promotes gays.

So if Pakistan promotes gays, we too will become prosperous like the West...?

The West has fulfilled its potential and destiny. It all started 1000 year ago and during all those centuries it matured, conqoured, invented and spread out over rest of the wide open world fauna.

What do someone do when you have won everything you can win? self-indulgence of course.

The west is not promoting homosexuality, it is promoting its will on rest of the world, just because it can. It is like that rich powerful friend who invites you on a party and insist that you party as hard as he does, with all its predicaments.

The west is caught up in what Oswald Spengler calls sterility.

 

[American Pakistani]

I hope our ya habibi chanting qom will learn something from here.

 

[jamal18]

The West has fulfilled its potential and destiny. It all started 1000 year ago and during all those centuries it matured, conqoured, invented and spread out over rest of the wide open world fauna.

What do someone do when you have won everything you can win? self-indulgence of course.

The west is not promoting homosexuality, it is promoting its will on rest of the world, just because it can. It is like that rich powerful friend who invites you on a party and insist that you party as hard as he does, with all its predicaments.

The west is caught up in what Oswald Spengler calls sterility.

What the West face now is largely a culturally subservient world. Not Nations who can stand against them and promote their own values, instead people who compete with each other to be more servile than the next.

 

[Corruptistan]

Why focus on the West in this thread? What has the West to do with women in the labor force? 100 years ago almost no women in the West worked.
There are plenty examples of female Muslim warriors, doctors, scientists, poets, merchants etc. in early Islam.

Every Muslim, women included, are encouraged to seek knowledge and to become a productive part of society. The idea of women sitting at home solely is a backward idea that has nothing to do with Islam but cultural practices.

If you want to have a productive society in 2022, you have to engage with half of the population (women) and offer them similar work opportunities etc. so they can become a valuable part of the society.

I hope our ya habibi chanting qom will learn something from here.

They won't. Instead they will curse and talk about Islam disappearing from Saudi Arabia (all those pathetic videos online are made by Muslim South Asians - nobody else has any problem) meanwhile forgetting the enormous hypocrisy found in South Asia on this front. We are a lost cause for now. Give it a few decades when literacy rates improve, the economy and more people get educated. Then we will realize the stupidity of what we allowed to occur.

 

[Wergeland]

What the West face now is largely a culturally subservient world. Not Nations who can stand against them and promote their own values, instead people who compete with each other to be more servile than the next.

True

And The West has earned it, with hard labor and cleverness. But like so many civilizations before The West now faces the same problem that comes with every great power and riches. It costs tremendous amount of energy to uphold it.

 

[jamal18]

True

And The West has earned it, with hard labor and cleverness. But like so many civilizations before The West now faces the same problem that comes with every great power and riches. It costs tremendous amount of energy to uphold it.

'Hard labour'?

I assume you mean the hard labour of the colonies?

 

[Flash_Ninja]

Pakistan has a female labour participation rate of 21%. Let that sink in.

We could literally double our national productivity and output if more women went to work, but instead our culture shuns females who do anything other than sit at home and be a baby-making machine. We have thousands of qualified doctors, engineers, and scientists, who complete their studies and then spend the rest of their lives out of work doing nothing.

 

[أبو عمار الأسلمي]

Pakistan has a female labour participation rate of 21%. Let that sink in.

We could literally double our national productivity and output if more women went to work, but instead our culture shuns females who do anything other than sit at home and be a baby-making machine. We have thousands of qualified doctors, engineers, and scientists, who complete their studies and then spend the rest of their lives out of work doing nothing.

No, they are not doing nothing. Females are doing productive roles in society, just in other ways than men. 80% or20% participation, overall the same work is done. If it is not done by males then it is done by females. There is no point in increasing the proportion of women in the army, because you are diminishing the army's manpower. Any increase in that sense comes at the expense of men losing jobs and diminishing overall efficiency of the army. Women can work, but they should do it in accordance to their nature, and not as a competition against men. It is the same way as men competing against women in pregnancy, nurturing and caregiving. It is pointless, except to brag about it in the media that we have 99% of jobs taken by women, that these are heroes and all the equality stuff. Who do you want to do the baby-making stuff? Do you want men to get pregnant as well? I did not say that females should not work, just work as their nature dictates them because we need female doctors and teachers, but we do not need any female SEAL/SF/ soldier or fighter (at least until we are invaded and lack manpower). Having females as soldiers is a sign of an army working at maximum capability all the time at best, and a degenerate and decadent military at worst. It should be an exception rather than a rule in the army. For other occupations yes we need both men and female for most jobs. But kicking out men from the army and replacing them with females is a huge mistake.

 

[أبو عمار الأسلمي]

The West promotes gays.

So if Pakistan promotes gays, we too will become prosperous like the West...?

First, they are perverts. There is nothing "gay" about sodomy.
Second, no. We will not become prosperous if we encourage perverts. We will become prosperous only if we obey God. If we don't, we will be destroyed. Very simple.
Third, the West has become prosperous long before he encouraged perverts, think the UK in the 18th and 19th century and the US in the beginning of the 20th century. But it has become overstretched and has exhausted its potential, and China is taking advantage of this and is becoming prosperous instead. I may even say that the decline of the West has begun with promoting moral degeneracy and sodomy in the last half of the 20th century, and it is only more accelerated now. It is self-destruction.

I agree except that the West is indeed promoting sodomy. Watch the western media. It is promoting all kinds of sexual perversion and encouraging its tolerance too as to be normal not only for them, but for the whole world they are enforcing this using economic and political means.

The West has fulfilled its potential and destiny. It all started 1000 year ago and during all those centuries it matured, conqoured, invented and spread out over rest of the wide open world fauna.

What do someone do when you have won everything you can win? self-indulgence of course.

The west is not promoting homosexuality, it is promoting its will on rest of the world, just because it can. It is like that rich powerful friend who invites you on a party and insist that you party as hard as he does, with all its predicaments.

The west is caught up in what Oswald Spengler calls sterility.

 

[أبو عمار الأسلمي]

Why focus on the West in this thread? What has the West to do with women in the labor force? 100 years ago almost no women in the West worked.
There are plenty examples of female Muslim warriors, doctors, scientists, poets, merchants etc. in early Islam.

Every Muslim, women included, are encouraged to seek knowledge and to become a productive part of society. The idea of women sitting at home solely is a backward idea that has nothing to do with Islam but cultural practices.

If you want to have a productive society in 2022, you have to engage with half of the population (women) and offer them similar work opportunities etc. so they can become a valuable part of the society.



They won't. Instead they will curse and talk about Islam disappearing from Saudi Arabia (all those pathetic videos online are made by Muslim South Asians - nobody else has any problem) meanwhile forgetting the enormous hypocrisy found in South Asia on this front. We are a lost cause for now. Give it a few decades when literary rates improve, the economy and more people get educated. Then we will realize the stupidity of what we allowed to occur.

Maybe there were plenty of doctors, scientists, poets and merchants who were female in early Islam, but very few participated as fighters in the army back then. It was exceptional. And returning backwards is what we should be doing, because following others instead of following our own ancestors path will only bring us misery. Making 90% of the army members to be female or even 20% is a huge mistake. This is a progressive attitude, and it will lead us straight into the wall. It is progressing in the wrong path. If you want to kick out most men from their jobs and replace them with females to satisfy the West and its equality, then prepare for the total collapse of society. You are dismissing the important tasks that women do in their houses invluding baby-making, taking care and educating their kids, which is very valuable to the society, but you are seeing their role in a purely economical perspective. I admit that we need female doctors/teachers..., but women should work in accordance to their nature, and not doing commando ops and soldiers stuff. They promote these things just to brag about it in the media that this country is promoting equality and is progressive and good west ally, but this is a mistake even if they complement us. Just be aware that even the West is increasingly becoming aware of this mistake and questionning why their societies are destablized and why their population is stagnating and other problems such as sexual harassment that were not so marked after ww2. Going down with the progressive narrative and that it's 2022 or 2700 come on you live under a rock this is modernity just does not hold a candle against the dangers that are promoted in mainstream media globally.