A recent study conducted by Glowork, claimed to be the first female dedicated human capital company, and its partners DAF Advisory Services and Alwane, concluded that Saudi female students want to work during their time at university.
The study revealed that 87 percent of Saudi women are looking to work part time if the opportunity was given. “They want to work not for financial reasons, but purely for experience,” said Khalid Alkhudair, founder and CEO of Glowork & Ashoka fellow. He added: “I am sure if this survey was conducted for males, the outcome would be different and that’s because in the Kingdom, our sons and daughters are financially dependent on their parents and until that changes, the need to work is limited.”
The study was conducted on Glowork’s belief that the gap between the education and employment sectors can be bridged through implementing a part time law, which enables women to become an active member of the society and understands what lies ahead for them when they graduate.
“Countries in the west have their whole retail industry built on part time students. We believe there should be a mechanism in which the Ministry of Labor looks at adapting a salary/per hour scheme,” said Alkhudair.
Other parts of the study, which were conducted at 10 universities across the Kingdom, state that 40 percent of female jobseekers use online recruitment websites when it comes to applying for opportunities.
Thirty-one percent of the respondents believe that sending an email directly to the organization would be the best option.
Another issue highlighted was that 64 percent of Saudi females seek assistance when it comes to writing a CV and resume, with the majority of them stressing that they were willing to pay for such assistance. Glowork sees that as due to the lack of career counseling centers in universities that assist students in writing their CV and conducting their interviews prior to their graduation.
“Universities should strive to teach their students how to professionally network and emphasize to the latter the difference between professional networking and Wasta, lest they feel shame in practicing it,” said Fares Bugshan, CEO of DAF Consulting. “Universities’ administrators may help their students understand how and when to network by connecting them with recent alumni who work in industries of interest to the students.”
87% female students ready to work part time
