Saudi Arabia is seeing a major churn in the labour market with women’s participation in employment on a surge, accounting for as high as 34 percent in flexible work in August this year – two percent higher than the previous month, a market report said.
Tech companies’ adoption of flexible work models is cited as the major driver of the rising participation of women in employment in the ‘so-called conservative’ Kingdom.
Food and beverage (f&b) and retail are the most active sectors in terms of employing flexible workers, with fluctuating seasonality and significant turnover at their peak, according to the report by Marn, a Saudi-based labour market startup.
“Women’s engagement in flexible work is about 34 percent, which is greater than women’s overall participation in the Saudi workforce, which can accelerate women’s labor market participation,” the report said.
The report also revealed that the number of women entering the flexible work market has been increasing highly in the recent months and is anticipated to rise further, with tech companies becoming the largest employers of flexible workers.
Marn said the new trend augurs well for businesses, especially for sectors with high seasonality.
“Flexibility in human resources may give businesses a competitive advantage when coping with seasonality and turnover rates,” Mohammed Al-Sabeeh, founder and chief executive officer of Marn, told Arabian Business.
“Whereas specific industries suffer from low margins and high operating expenses, adapting to flexible work can increase market efficiency and assure company continuity and growth,” he said.
Al-Sabeeh said the hourly pay for flexible work might vary depending on gender, job type and location.
“Our data demonstrates that job postings in the north of any city are more likely to pay more than those in the south of the city,” he said.
According to the latest Marn report, the average per hour salary in August was SAR 26, up from SAR 24 in July.
Abha, near the Red Sea in southwest Saudi Arabia, was the highest paying city in August.
The most active sectors for flexible work in August were retail, f&b, e-commerce and technology.
The most occupied jobs by women in the month were sellers – this was also the most in-demand job in the month – as against cashiers by men, the report said.
The report said most active days for hiring for flexible jobs were Tuesdays, while least active days were Fridays in August.
Most shifts occur between 12 pm and 6 pm, with each shift being for six hours.
In July 2022, the most active sectors for flexible work were Hajj and Umrah, entertainment, retail and f&b, and Arar the highest per hour paying Saudi city.
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