Young women in the MENA region are more likely to be in the workforce, while the GCC countries—particularly the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar—have seen advances in labor force participation, according to the latest PwC report.
According to PwC’s MENA Women in Work Survey 2022, the participation of women in the workforce across the region is between 20 percent and 40 percent, with the Gulf countries ranking the highest, and Egypt and Jordan the lowest.
The survey, which came out six months after the TOP CEO Conference held in Dubai in May 2022, echoed the highlights of the event, which suggested that women in the Middle East and North Africa region have made significant gains and have become a vital part of the region’s workforce.
Sarah Al Tamimi, Vice-Chair of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, Saudi Arabia, had said education, reskilling and upskilling are driving the Kingdom’s future growth as the country currently focuses more on the development of the non-oil sectors.
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The human capital development program in the Kingdom looks at society as a whole, and it aims to create skilled employees for the future, she had pointed out during a session on “Saudi Women Pioneers: Change from Within”.
During the event, Nora Aldabal, Executive Director of Arts and Creative Industries at Royal Commission for AlUla, had said, “Women are building right skills and knowledge to become a qualified individual for any job.”
The latest PwC survey, meanwhile, was carried out among women aged between 18 and 35 years to assess their professional experiences and ambitions. The company surveyed over 1,500 women in the age bracket across Lebanon, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, and Kuwait.
The report noted that these countries are home to close to 81 million people, and have a combined GDP of close to $2 trillion.
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The survey highlighted that a large group of younger women are more likely to go to work and remain in employment to fulfil their ambitions.
(With inputs from Wadad Mogharbel)