2024 Guide to Kickstarting Your Career in Saudi Arabia: All the information you need to launch your professional journey

Navigating the job market as a fresh graduate seeking that first career opportunity can be an exciting period filled with opportunities, but it can also be fraught with uncertainty and anxiety, especially given today’s competitive labor market.

Our third annual guide to taking the first step in your professional journey uses LinkedIn data to identify this year’s fastest-growing industries for career starters in Saudi Arabia as well as the most in-demand careers within them, the top skills needed in entry-level job postings, and the percentage of roles that offer remote working opportunities. 

What industries are the fastest growing?

LinkedIn data reveals that the fastest-growing industry for fresh bachelor graduates is construction, experiencing a 13.4% year on year growth in the country’s hiring market  for bachelor degree holders, with the top occupations within that industry being civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers. 

Construction leading the list aligns with the kingdom’s surge of new projects. Around $250 billion worth of construction contracts have been awarded to firms since 2016, Bloomberg reported, as the kingdom ramped up plans to build mega projects to diversify the economy.

Saudi Arabia also boasts the largest construction industry among GCC countries, with its goal being to raise the industry’s contribution to GDP to 8.8% by 2030, a report by Oxford Business Group indicates.  The local construction market is expected to witness an average annual growth rate of over 4% between 2024 and 2027, according to UK data analytics firm GlobalData.

The entertainment sector makes its debut on the list as the fourth fastest-growing industry among fresh bachelor grads, with accountant, customer service specialist, and physical therapist in high demand. The sector has created more than 150,000 local jobs in the past eight years, according to the CEO of the General Entertainment Authority, with over 4,000 companies operating in the sector, compared to less than 10 companies before the launch of Vision 2030

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What skills are the most needed?

Employers are increasingly seeking candidates with a strong set of soft, or human skills, when hiring. A recent LinkedIn survey indicates that nine out of 10 global executives agree soft skills are more important than ever, especially as organizations realize the limitations of AI and the value of people-to-people collaboration. 

The most sought-out skill in entry-level jobs, according to LinkedIn data, is analytical skills, or the ability to collect, interpret, and evaluate information in order to understand complex problems. It is followed by design skills and engineering skills, respectively.

Is flexibility still an option? 

Flexibility, or having a full choice of where to work, is a key priority among GenZ and millennial employees, as they strive to maintain a work-life balance, according to a report by consultancy Deloitte. 

In Saudi Arabia, while onsite jobs still dominate entry-level postings at around 60%, hybrid roles are gradually becoming more common. In this year’s report, hybrid or remote roles account for almost 40% of postings, up from 10% in 2023. 

Fresh graduates seeking to kickstart their careers are in for a competitive labor market, with 84% of professionals in Saudi Arabia and the UAE looking for a new job this year, LinkedIn data indicates.  Moreover, AI is changing the way we work and is expected to impact nearly 40% of global jobs, affecting advanced economies more than emerging and low-income countries, according to IMF analysis from earlier this year. 

What do you think will be the biggest challenge for those joining the workforce this year? Share your thoughts in the comments. 

Written and proofread by: Nabila Rahhal, Salma Altantawy, Lynn Chouman

Data and analysis: Yao Huang

Graphics: Kyle Ranson-Walsh and Gowtham Balamurugan