9 Most In-Demand Skills in Saudi Arabia for 2025

Saudi Arabia has initiated the “Saudization” plan to boost the private job market and increase employment. The government will be able to meet its target of 3 million jobs by 2030 with this vision. However, growing demand in health care, financial banking, and cybersecurity will require a better quality of workforce. Acquiring these skills would be beneficial in getting employed in Saudi Arabia. In this article, let's discuss some in-demand skills in Saudi Arabia.

Work Culture in Saudi Arabia

You will find some surprising work customs in Saudi Arabia. The work week, breaks, and public holidays have been issued in accordance with Islamic laws. Here are some aspects of the work culture in Saudi Arabia. 

1. Short Breaks for Prayers: Employees are allowed short breaks to offer prayers multiple times a day because most of the citizens of Saudi Arabia are Muslim. Hence, they are accustomed to offering prayers five times a day. All corporations respect this rule, and a short break is permitted if prayer time is scheduled. 

2. Unique Working Days: Most people worldwide are accustomed to enjoying Sunday as a weekly holiday. But not in Saudi Arabia. Here, the work week starts on Sunday and concludes on Thursday, showcasing the employers’ empathetic nature towards the beliefs and customs of the employees.  

3. Inclusive Participation: By the end of Q2 2024, 35.4% of women were employed across various industries. It is a huge milestone towards inclusive participation of both genders in public and private sectors.  

Skills In-Demand in Saudi Arabia

According to reports, Saudi Arabia is said to face skill shortages of a skilled workforce both in tech and non-tech sectors. Let's now discuss some of the skills in demand in this country.

1. Healthcare Skills

As reported by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, there will be nearly 40,000 vacancies in the healthcare sector. World Arabia further added that for 2025 a budget of $69.3 billion would be given to the health sector so as to open up more hospitals that could upgrade the whole healthcare sector. The same shall be covered at a maximised scale through covering up hospitalisations as well as healthcare providers that could be provided professionally.

2. Teaching Skills

The transformation in Saudi Arabia's education sector is very much driven by a vision of modernisation and progressive reforms. A young, rapidly growing population requires quality education, and demand is rising at unprecedented levels. According to UNESCO estimates, Saudi Arabia will need an additional 215,600 teachers by 2030 to meet this challenge. 

3. Data Analysis Skills

Saudi Arabia’s government is aiming to adopt digitalisation in the coming years. Due to more government initiatives like Saudi Vision 2030 and increased investment in startups, there has been a high demand for data analysts in the country. As per industry experts, many companies are looking for skilled workers in predictive modelling, data mining, and visualisation. 

4. Human Resource Management Skills

According to an update published by the Ministry of Human Resources at KSA, the National Transformation Program will aim to involve youth in the Human Resources and Labour market by Vision 2030. The skill to manage human resources and labour will rise in 2025 as the KSA government promotes new businesses in the non-oil sectors. 

5. Investment Banking Skills

The KSA Finance Ministry aims to invest SAR 1,285 billion to meet the goals of Vision 2030. It is a good opportunity to capitalise on this field because investment bankers manage the organisation's finances and documentation. Upgrading your skills will be a crucial and rewarding step for those in the domain of investment banking because of the huge sums being invested across various industries.  

6. Cybersecurity Skills

Non-oil industries are being developed at a rapid pace. Additionally, a huge risk of data breaches and cyber-attacks comes uninvited. Therefore, cybersecurity is another skill in high demand in Saudi Arabia, and it is used to prevent businesses from data breaches. As per statistics, data breaches cost $4.88 Billion in 2024 to the KSA government.

As per experts, this is majorly due to a skill gap. Experts suggest skills such as encryption techniques, AIML proficiency, and network security must be learned to be equipped to combat the growing number of cyberattacks. 

7. Civil and Mechanical Engineers Skills

Saudi Arabia is moving towards the construction of smart cities, hospitals, schools, and universities. According to an article published by Big 5 Construct Saudi, 24 megaprojects will be part of 2025’s roadmap. For these projects, Saudi Arabia needs highly skilled and experienced civil and mechanical engineers. 

8. Accounting Skills

The initial arc of ‘Vision 2030’ has begun, aiming to grow the revenue from the technical and management sectors. It generates employment and aims to reduce the burden on oil and tourism industries. Arab News predicts that Saudi Arabia's GDP will expand by up to 3.3%. Due to the fact that firms require an experienced adviser to make financial judgments, financial analysis abilities will be highly sought after. 

9. Social Media Management Skills

The KSA has an internet penetration of 95%. Making social media one of the most competitive spaces in the country. As non-oil sectors are brought to the forefront, more businesses want to promote their businesses digitally. However, currently, there’s a skill gap among social media managers in this country. Therefore, to cater to the varying demands of Saudi Arabia's people, people skilled in social media and content creation are needed. 

How to Improve Your Skills for the Saudi Arabian Job Market? 

It is advisable to attain vocational training from reputed institutions to get a strong grip on the individual field. The above skills can be learned by pursuing the training programs mentioned here: 

Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS): Advanced skills in healthcare services can be attained through this vocational training program. It is most suitable for individuals who already have certain qualifications in the medical science division. 

Power and Energy Training Programs by IIPD Global: To gain expertise in the domain of renewable energy and solar power efficiency, you can explore this training program, as this program holds precise details about the best practices and industry standard operations.   

NobleProg's Investment Banking: Introduction to Structured Products Training: For beginners and intermediate-level bankers, this is an introductory course that focuses on the dynamics of investments and how to optimize the products for clients. It also highlights the opportunities and upcoming trends in investment banking.   

Final Words

The rapidly changing nature of non-oil sectors and Saudi Arabia’s policies have paved the way for a highly skilled workforce to take over. Hence, the abovementioned skills can be upgraded and utilized in Saudi Arabia in 2025. Edstellar is a platform to explore training programs for corporate teams. You can explore Edstellar's Skill Matrix tool to get a comprehensive skill report. It visually represents your current skill level through real-time charts, bar graphs, and infographics. Utilize the best of this opportunity and take your skills towards building a rewarding career.