There have been stunning increases in female jobs in Jeddah in recent years. This is a remarkable transformation of current employment practices in Saudi Arabia،
At OST (Resources Promise for Operating & Maintenance), we have witnessed how the job market for women in Jeddah, one of the largest coastal cities in Saudi, has evolved and expanded beyond traditional work for women, providing new opportunities across all sectors.
Female Employment in Jeddah: Current Market Overview
The current employment market for women in Jeddah represents one of the most dynamic shifts in modern economic history in Saudi Arabia، We have been a leading recruitment agency since 2008 and have been lucky enough to help facilitate this transformation، Even if organisations worked with a diverse and highly skilled workforce, our commitment to providing currently excellence in human resource functions have found us in the lead of this evolution،
Job position requests from organisations for women and therefore females job placement requests from our agency has increased 300% over the last five years، Suddenly, talented female professionals are in demand across almost all sectors, even from traditional areas, such as education and health, industry developments include technology, finance, and engineering،
The numbers say it all, women make up around 35% of the workforce in Jeddah, and this is still growing، More organisations accept the competitive advantage of gender diverse teams and there are a variety of clients in our network, who we have provided placements in multinationals, government organisations and positive startup businesses, to create diverse teams.
Why Jeddah is Becoming a Hub for Women’s Careers
The rise of Jeddah as a career destination for women is driven by a number of factors that we have witnessed through our recruitment, the most notable of these has been Jeddah’s position as the “Gateway” to the world and the desire from international commercial businesses to set up operations here and employ workers under policies that uphold workplace equality internationally and by extension regionally، Oftentimes the physical presence of these international organizations become the catalyst for progressive employment practices across the wider region.
Jeddah’s cultural history of trade and commerce positions it well as perhaps one of the more foreign friendly cities in Saudi Arabia، This approach to commerce has made it easier to transition into environments that are innately more inclusive and diverse, the cultural history of Jeddah has made trajectories feel more natural and more sustainable.
Our clients have consistently referenced Jeddah’s keen business environment, its infrastructure, and proximity to major economic hubs as being deciding factors for establishing operations، These same advantages are appealing for women who want to pursue a career in an environment that genuinely supports them.
Top Industries Offering Female Jobs in Jeddah
As a part of our recruiting initiatives, we have come across various industries that have shown consistent demand for female talent، Each industry comes with its benefits and future growth for women wanting to establish a career.
The technology sector is proving to be a great market for recruitment as companies are actively seeking female talent and are hiring females in software engineering , data analysis , digital marketing, software project management, etc، We have been able to place many successful females in our technology clients from first-time programming roles to senior leader roles at technology companies،
Banking & Financial Services, is also a huge area of growth، Working with some of the main banks and financial institutions, we have encountered huge successes with our placements of female talent spanning from customer service roles to financial analyst roles and again to investment advisory roles and branch management!
Manufacturing and Industrial are two sectors that have primarily hired male talent, but are improving understanding in recruiting for diversity، We have helped place female engineers, quality assurance, and operations management positions with companies in the most diverse manufacturing verticals.
Teaching and Education Roles: A Leading Choice for Females
Education remains one of the largest areas of female employment in Jeddah and demonstrates both social values and practical careers، From our education division we have placed hundreds of well qualified women in teaching positions in private schools, national schools, and ed-tech and proprietary educational programs،
The need for female teachers goes beyond classroom teaching to include administrative, curriculum advancement, educational technology, and specialized education، We have also noticed a particular increase in the demand for teachers with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), second languages, and early childhood education qualifications، Jeddah international schools employ female teachers that bring globalized views and various pedagogies, which often have preferred salary and professional learning options and allows for travel opportunities with their families.
Healthcare Opportunities for Women in Jeddah
The healthcare industry is often seen as one of the oldest and most recognized industries for participating in careers for women، Our healthcare recruitment section has hired many female professionals in the industry on a wide spectrum from nursing and allied health professionals, through to specialized doctors, and healthcare administrators،
The availability of women’s health services have provided additional opportunities for women’s healthcare positions، Medical institutions actively recruit female doctors, female nurses, and female technicians for roles with women and children, to ensure culturally responsive healthcare delivery،
Preventative healthcare and wellness is growing rapidly in Jeddah for both women and children, and this has created career opportunities for female professionals in nutrition, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and mental health services، Most of these fields provide flexibility for work and offer opportunities for women who want work-life quality working hours.
Administrative and Managerial Roles for Female Professionals
Administrative roles have changed significantly from daily secretarial work to more involved managerial functions with advanced skill sets and more critical thinking، We have encountered women in administrative strategic roles with executive assistants, project managers, and departmental team leaders in all types of sectors،
Women are not only growing in the entrepreneurship realm, but as business leaders, it has created a ripple effect on more established types of companies to create space for women to hold executive roles، Our search assignments have successfully placed women in senior management roles where they can contribute strategically – providing strategic vision and operational excellence.
Human resources is a specialized field where women excel due to their interpersonal aspects, detail orientation, and other fundamental human management capabilities، We have successfully placed women in roles from recruitment and training, to employment policies, and organizational development.
Retail and Hospitality Jobs for Women in Jeddah
The retail and hospitality industries have changed exponentially, creating thousands of new opportunities for women to participate and at all skill levels، Shopping malls, hotels, restaurants and entertainment spaces support female recruitment in an organization to serve diverse customers and develop diverse environments for women.
Luxury retail opportunities value women as customers and recognize the customer service skills and aesthetic impulse that most women offer in retail sales and customer relations role، We have successfully placed women ranging from sales associate position, store management, and regional coordinator position roles.
The growth of the hospitality industry, mostly through increased tourism in Saudi Arabia, has created opportunities in hotel management, event planning, customer service, and food and beverage operations، Many places develop interest in training and career development within a provincial or corporate office, continuing public education is another critical aspect.
Remote and Online Jobs Suitable for Women in Saudi Arabia
The digital transformation accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent global events has opened up new job categories that offer flexible employment opportunities to workers and fit well with the needs of women، Our online job placement division has successfully placed women in remote jobs in numerous employment sectors including content creation, digital marketing, virtual assistance, and online education، Many of the freelance opportunities available to women in graphic design, translation, writing and consulting allow them to create meaningful careers and connect with clients while working flexibly.
We provide training programs and continue to support women as they develop the technical skills and competencies to succeed in the digital workplace.
E-commerce has created many opportunities for women entrepreneurs and employees supporting online retailers، Many women can now consider professional careers in social media management, digital marketing, online customer service, and other burgeoning fields still in their infancy, which has future potential for women at all stages of their careers.
Government Support and Vision 2030 Initiatives for Women
Government Support and Vision 2030 initiatives have changed the landscape of employment for women in this country in radical ways، The legislation signed by the KSA government has resulted in new mechanisms and incentives for women to join the workforce، As a recruitment partner to several government organizations and Vision 2030 initiatives, we have witnessed how public policy converts to genuine employment opportunities،
The process of increasing women in the workforce to 30% by 2030 has created legislation, officials, and management accountability measures to improve recruitment and retention of women in organizations، While no doubt policy can be made, the policy support is re-assuring, and lends confidence to institutions and job seekers alike about the sustainability of the current trends،
The signed legislation regarding workplace environments created new requirements related to transport, and childcare support which removed significant practical barriers to women’s employment، Now organizations can find it easier to create inclusive workplaces that attract and maintain top female talent.
Essential Skills to Secure a Female Jobs in Jeddah
Certain skills consistently improve employment prospects, according to our vast experience placing Jeddah، Effective communication in Arabic and English is still essential for most jobs، To assist candidates in developing these vital skills, we frequently offer language instruction and communication workshops.
In every industry, technical skills are becoming more and more crucial، Nowadays, proficiency with digital tools, project management software, and data analysis platforms is necessary for even traditional roles، In order to stay competitive in the changing labor market, our training programs assist women in acquiring these competencies.
Employers place a high value on leadership and emotional intelligence abilities because they understand that diverse teams function better under the direction of people who can handle challenging interpersonal situations، To help women get ready for management and leadership positions, we provide specialized training in these areas.
How OST Recruitment Agency Empowers Female Job Seekers
At OST, we appreciate that helping a female with her job search is beyond just placement – it is career development and focus، Our work begins with skills assessments to help a woman recognize her areas of strength and recognize the components she may need to develop، Once a foundation is established, we can ensure the matches are ‘roles where she can thrive and develop.’
Our career counseling services are designed to support female candidates within a career and recognize that women often face unique barriers in relation to relationship management, advocate for themselves (salary negotiation), balancing tasks or life roles (work-life balance), and advancement opportunities (career)، These ongoing relationships with supported candidates enable us to continue ongoing support to their career development and job search trajectories.
We have established focus groups that identify the unique needs of the female job seeker community, and for instance we have developed programs for returning-to-work women (after parental leave), engagements with female leadership development opportunities to facilitate women in advancing their career development, and development of opportunities for females to pursue non-traditional skills, and provide entrepreneurial support for when women want to start their own businesses.
Likewise, our partnerships with employers help us address barriers to inclusive workplace policy and practices، We work with brands to develop family-friendly workplace policies, flexible and remote working arrangements, and career development programs that support women’s career ambitions.
Career Tips for Women to Thrive in Jeddah’s Job Market
At OST, we recognize that it’s more than just placement when assisting a woman with her job search – it’s career development and focus، We start our process with skills assessments so the woman can become aware of her strengths and acknowledge the things she needs to develop، From there, we can serve the woman in a ‘roles she can thrive and develop’ context.
Our career counselling services are also intended to promote female candidates in their career, and acknowledge that women tend to run into different barriers in terms of relationship management, self-advocacy/salary negotiation, managing multiple tasks and/or life roles (work-life balance), and career advancement، The successful ongoing relationships we cultivate with supported candidates blot enables us to provide ongoing support to their career development path and job search path.
We have created focus groups that are specific to identifying the needs of women job seekers, and from this, we have developed programs for women returning to work (e.g، after parental leave), partnerships with female leadership development opportunities that promote women waistline their career development, and identifying opportunities for women to acquire non-traditional skills, and provided entrepreneurial support for when women want to start their own businesses.
Similarly, our partnerships with employers assist us in removing barriers to inclusive workplace policy and practice، We partner with brands in developing family-friendly workplace policy and practice, flexible remote working options, and career development initiatives that support women’s career goals.
