Lifting of ban on women drivers to transform Saudi job market: survey

The employment landscape in Saudi Arabia will be transformed as the Kingdom lifts the ban on women drivers, online recruitment firm GulfTalent said in a recent survey report.

An overwhelming 82 percent of Saudi women plan to take up driving this year, according to the survey findings.

“This is expected to contribute to more women growing into senior roles traditionally dominated by men, many women upgrading to higher paying jobs further away from their homes, and many currently unemployed women getting the opportunity to work,” the report said.

The GulfTalent survey found that the ability to drive significantly enhances a woman’s chance of career progression, by giving her the required mobility and removing logistical barriers that have traditionally inhibited promotion to senior roles.

“Senior positions often involve working with employees in multiple offices across the region either within or outside the country, which was more difficult in the past without being able to drive,” said Hala, a regional HR manager at a construction company in Dammam.

“Now that women will be able to drive, more female candidates will likely be considered for senior roles that entail traveling to other offices,” she added.

Mai, a project engineer based in Jeddah, said: “Being able to drive will make me eligible for the position of project manager – as the role needs constantly moving between the office and project sites to supervise work.”

Many of the survey respondents said that they previously had to settle for jobs with lower pay than their qualifications merited or unrelated to their interests and studies because of transport constraints, the report said.

“We will now be able to hire more female staff for sales positions and other jobs requiring work outside the office,” an HR manager based in Jeddah said.

The Saudi government’s Vision 2030 aims to raise women’s participation in the workforce from 22 percent to 30 percent. The new opportunities created by women driving are set to contribute to achieving this goal, the report said.

A key segment to benefit from the lifting of the ban on driving will be women in villages and small towns, many of them teachers, who need to commute to jobs in larger cities, the survey found.

“Now I can commute for work to other cities without fear of sitting in a car with a man that I don’t know and am unrelated to,” a survey respondent who lives near Riyadh said.

GulfTalent said its research was based on an online survey of 400 Saudi women based in Saudi Arabia, interviews with 25 Saudi women, and senior executives of 10 employers active in Saudi Arabia.