十年进步：沙特阿拉伯劳动力市场转型内幕（英）

INSIDE SAUDI ARABIA’SLABOR MARKETTRANSFORMATION Nayib RiveraCarole ChartouniEkaterina PankratovaJohannes KoettlTjaša BartoljMiha DominkoSimon BiloAhmed AlzahraniAhmed Humedi A Decadeof Progress INSIDE SAUDI ARABIA’SLABOR MARKET TRANSFORMATION | Nayib Rivera | Carole Chartouni | Ekaterina Pankratova | Johannes Koettl || Tjaša Bartolj | Miha Dominko | Simon Bilo | Ahmed Alzahrani | Ahmed Humedi | This report offers fresh insights into Saudi Arabia’s labor market transfor-mation over the past decade, highlighting some of the accomplishments inreshaping employment outcomes achieved after implementation of Vision2030 and the National Labor Market Strategy. Leveraging a rich datasetcomparing 2025 with a 2015 pre–Vision 2030 baseline, it offers details aboutsome of the main policy reforms that the Ministry of Human Resources andSocial Development has led and how these reforms have helped modernizelabor market institutions and policies, enhance inclusion, and enable theprivate sector to become the emerging force driving new job creation. Theanalysis documents the significant observable shifts toward greater inclu-sion; private sector employment in micro, small, and medium-sized firms;and general workforce upskilling and distills lessons for inclusive growthand economic diversification that offer practical guidance for policy makersin the region and beyond. Disclaimer→ © [2026] The World Bank1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433Telephone: 202-473-1000; Internet: www.worldbank.org Some rights reserved. This work was prepared by The World Bank at the request of the Ministryof Human Resources and Social Development in Saudi Arabia. The findings,interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarilyreflect the views of the Executive Directors of The World Bank or the gov-ernments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included inthis work and does not assume responsibility for any errors, omissions, ordiscrepancies in the information, or liability with respect to the use of orfailure to use the information, methods, processes, or conclusions set forth.The boundaries, colors, denominations, links/footnotes and other informa-tion shown in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The WorldBank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or ac-ceptance of such boundaries. The citation of works authored by others doesnot mean the World Bank endorses the views expressed by those authors orthe content of their works. Nothing herein shall constitute or be construed or considered to be a limita-tion upon or waiver of the privileges and immunities of The World Bank, allof which are specifically reserved. Rights and→permissions The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bankencourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced,in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attributionto this work is given. Attribution—Please cite the work as follows:“World Bank. [2026]. [A Decade of Progress: Inside Saudi Arabia’s LaborMarket Transformation]. © World Bank.” All queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should beaddressed to:World Bank Publications, The World Bank, 1818 H Street NW,Washington,DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522-2625; e-mail:pubrights@worldbank.org. Cover photo: © Pexels / arthousestudioPhoto credit: © Ami Vitale / Panos Pictures. Used with the permission ofAmi Vitale / Panos Pictures. Further permission required for reuse. Contents Executive Summary/ 9→ Saudi Arabia’s Transformation Journey/ 12Vision 2030 and the LMS/ 14 Accelerated and Inclusive HumanCapital Activation/ 23→ A More Dynamic Private Sector/ 32→ Breaking the New Frontier:What’s next for Saudi Arabia/ 53→ References/ 57Endnotes/ 58 Table of figures Figure 1.Percentage of SaudiNationals Employed According to Sex, Age, and Education/ 24Figure 2.Labor Force Participation Rates & Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET)/ 25Figure 3.Job Transitions Out of Inactivity for Youth and Women/ 26Figure 4.Share of Respondents Reporting That They Would Rather Be at Home Than Go to Work According toSex and Age/ 26Figure 5.Acceptance of Saudi Women Working in Mixed-Gender Workplaces/ 27Figure 6.Sectoral Distribution of Employment of Saudi Nationals According to Sector/ 32Figure 7.Share of Saudi Workers Transitioning Out of Inactivity to Employment According to Sector/ 33Figure 8.Firms’ Perceptions of the Impact of Localization Policies/ 34Figure 9.Sector of Work Sought by Unemployed Saudis According to Sex/ 35Figure 10.Selected Regression Coefficients for Real Wages and Reservation Wages, Saudi Nationals/ 36Figure 11.EmploymentDistribution According to Firm Size, Nationality, and Sex/ 37Figure 12.Average Occupational Structure According to Firm Size/ 38Figure 13.Distribution of Employment According to Education Level and Public versus Private Sector/ 40Figure 14.Qualification Mismat