DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Availability of highly skilled human capital attracts and generates innovation and knowledge-based industries and a well-trained and skilled youth population plays a central role. Youth and women perceive job acquisition as difficult and are acquiring less stable, and lower paying jobs in the informal market. Despite the high level of literacy and education among Saudi nationals, women and youth still find challenges meeting their career goals.

In order to provide greater employment opportunities for women and youth, policymakers could consider the following policy recommendations:

• Addressing the prevalence of informal employment in smaller Saudi cities could reduce the gap in formal employment between major and smaller cities in Saudi Arabia and have positive economic outcomes.

• Employment policies aimed at increasing employment could be improved by addressing the perceived of problems of job acquisition among women and youth.

• Looking into affirmative action policies that enforce a quota for women to support their labor force participation.

• Introduction of loans and funding programs for youth could to support entrepreneurial business, particularly among youth.

• Expansion of voluntary opportunities which support job skills acquisition and social cohesion