How Do Young Saudis View Skills for Future Jobs?

Mark C. Thompson

Saudi Vision 2030 aims to involve the national citizenry as motivated stakeholders in the Kingdom’s transition to a knowledge-based economy. In doing so, it recognizes the need to inculcate up-to-date skills sets among young nationals. Nevertheless, today, the types of knowledge and skills required in the economy are rapidly changing, driven by the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution. “The Future of Jobs Report 2018,” a report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in September 2018, for instance, underscores the need for a comprehensive workforce strategy to meet the challenges of accelerating change and innovation. Likewise, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are considered by 53 percent of senior executives based in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as the most prominent technologies on their boardroom agenda, according to Ernst and Young.