“In Saudi Arabia, demand for professional social workers has increased across multiple sectors due to national development and an increased focus on human capital.”

In this news release, the Ministry states that it "continues its efforts in accordance with Saudi Vision 2030 through an integrated portfolio of initiatives focused on human capital development and social protection." It explains that these initiatives aim "to empower different segments of society, enhance their participation in the labor market, and develop social services that meet the needs of beneficiaries." The statement highlights the expansion and upgrading of social protection and social development programs but does not separately specify the demand for professional social workers or the number of positions created.

This report highlights a sizeable reduction in unemployment. It also notes a pronounced shift in Saudi employment, particularly of women, toward private firms signaled a more-vibrant, more-competitive private sector playing an increasingly important role in employment. As Saudi Arabia continues to implement labor market reforms and shift toward private sector employment, in line with Vision 2030, inclusion of members of vulnerable groups, particularly youth and women, is critical.

The article describes Vision 2030 as a transformative agenda that "prioritises social empowerment" and notes that expanding private health insurance coverage and childcare services is expected to increase demand for care services. It explains that paid care work in Saudi Arabia includes health, social care, and education and is a "significant source of employment" but remains undervalued. It also states that female labour-force participation increased from 17% to 35% between 2017 and 2024, which has led to "a higher demand for childcare and older population support", indicating growing need for formal care and social services.

The Ministry of Education announced the expansion of social work positions in public schools for the 2024–2025 academic year, citing the need to ‘keep pace with national development and the growing importance of student mental health and social support services.’ The statement notes that social workers are being deployed in a greater number of schools and educational districts and that ‘demand for qualified social workers has increased across the education sector as part of the Kingdom’s focus on investing in human capital under Vision 2030.’

HRDF explains that it "strives to contribute to the achievement of the Vision programs' far-reaching objectives that are aligned with its strategic objectives" under several programs, including the Labor Market Strategy, Human Capability Development Program, and Digital Transformation Program. Under the Labor Market Strategy, HRDF lists objectives such as "developing training and rehabilitation programs for all classes of society," "redesigning the employment support programs," and "enhancing the quality of employment services designated for those facing challenges in employment." The document shows that national policies are expanding training and employment support across sectors. However, it does not single out professional social workers or explicitly state that demand for social workers has increased.

The findings suggest that the 2011 national Saudization policy yielded the desired results mostly regarding allied health specialists and nurses. Saudi Vision 2030 also envisages the need to reduce the unemployment rate from 11.6% in 2016 to 7% by 2030 and to raise women’s employment rate to 30% by 2030 from 22% in 2016. The report concludes that although unemployment in these sectors is high, Saudization is only 9%.

This official article explains that Saudi Arabia is "undergoing a historic transformation in its labor market" driven by Vision 2030, with a focus on building "a dynamic, inclusive, and globally competitive labor market." It highlights national development priorities such as increasing female participation, creating jobs in the nonprofit sector, and expanding social services. While it does not single out social workers by name, it stresses the government's "increased focus on human capital" and the development of sectors like health, education, and social services that typically employ professional social workers.

World Bank jobs and labor-force data for Saudi Arabia show that female labor force participation rose sharply after the launch of Vision 2030, from around the mid-teens in 2016 to roughly the mid‑30s percent by the mid‑2020s. The World Bank notes that this increase reflects reforms aimed at expanding women’s employment in sectors such as health, education, and social services, which are intensive in care and social work functions and thus contribute to rising demand for professionalized social services.

Marking World Social Work Day 2024, the Ministry of Health stated that ‘the role of social workers in hospitals and primary health‑care centers has expanded significantly in recent years.’ The statement attributes this expansion to ‘the growing importance of psychosocial support, patient rights and community‑based care in the health system transformation program’ and notes that ‘national development plans and the focus on human capital have increased the need for qualified social workers across multiple health sectors.’

The paper notes that "social work in Saudi Arabia has gained utility in multiple other sectors" and that "there seems to be a consensus that social work’s initial focus was on education before it expanded into other areas." Citing Almaizar and Abdelhamed (2018), it states that "the practice of social work has expanded into many areas, including the care of teenagers and adolescents, medical care, human development, and special needs care provision." It further mentions that social workers are involved in environmental conservation and the criminal justice system, and that they "support the functions of multiple sectors through working in diverse fields, keeping systems operating seamlessly" even though "social work remains an underdeveloped profession" in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Labor Market Strategy is a national strategy focused on regulating the labor market and its related entities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development and was approved by a decision of the Council of Ministers on December 8, 2020. The strategy's objectives are expected to increase the number of workers, improve the Kingdom's ranking in the Global Competitiveness Index and the Human Capital Index, and boost the participation of Saudi women in the workforce. Additionally, the strategy aims to attract the private sector, enhance the effectiveness of employment platforms, increase worker productivity, and reduce reliance on low-skilled expatriates.

The report notes that "Saudi nationals' labour force participation rate reached 51.3 percent (60.4 percent overall) in 2023" and discusses how Vision 2030 reforms are reshaping the labour market towards higher-skilled, service‑oriented jobs. It emphasises that the government is investing in "future skills" related to health, education, and social services as part of its human‑capital strategy. While it does not explicitly single out social workers, it links national development and diversification policies to increasing employment in sectors where social work and professional care services are central.

The workforce in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia comprises human resources qualified to meet the demands of the labor market in the Kingdom. Since the launch of the five-year development plans, the demand for the workforce has experienced a steady increase during the initial three plans. However, the fourth development plan witnessed a shift towards Saudization, a trend that the fifth development plan continued and extended through to the tenth development plan.

The paper observes that "Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in building a highly educated and trained workforce capable of fulfilling workforce needs in sectors like healthcare, technology, tourism, and renewable energy—sectors that are especially integral in fulfilling the Vision 2030 goal of reducing the country’s dependency on oil." It emphasises that "addressing skill mismatches, fostering gender inclusion, and expanding entrepreneurial opportunities are essential" and that the country is strengthening "education, training, policy and labour market" systems. While it discusses the expansion of health and social services and the need to staff them, it does not explicitly document an increased demand for professional social workers as a distinct occupation, focusing instead on high-skilled employment more broadly.

Arab News reports that several Saudi universities ‘have expanded their social work and social services programs in response to increased demand from government agencies, NGOs and the private sector.’ A dean of social work is quoted saying that ‘employment opportunities for social work graduates have diversified beyond traditional charity and welfare roles to include schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers and corporate social responsibility departments.’ The article links this shift to Vision 2030’s ‘emphasis on developing human capital and strengthening social cohesion.’

Drawing on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the article notes that "the social work job outlook from 2023 to 2033 across all sectors is expected to grow by about 7%" and highlights strong growth in healthcare, school, community, and behavioral health social work. While it focuses on the United States rather than Saudi Arabia, it attributes rising demand globally to factors such as population ageing, mental‑health awareness, and disaster response, which are also present in Saudi Arabia’s context and help explain why multiple sectors there are increasing their reliance on professional social workers.

This paper analyzes the changes in Saudi employment and unemployment between 2009 and 2018 and argues that a supply-demand skill mismatch exacerbated by labor market segmentation helps explain Saudi unemployment. Saudi preferences for sector show that 78% of the unemployed preferred to work in the public sector, indicating persistent public-sector dependence rather than broad private-sector absorption.

In a section discussing social protection and family violence, the report notes that ‘Saudi authorities have announced plans to expand social services and family protection programs, but implementation has been uneven.’ It points out that ‘civil society actors, including social workers and counsellors, remain limited in number and often lack institutional support.’ While acknowledging new initiatives, the report concludes that ‘the infrastructure and workforce for professional social services have not yet kept pace with the country’s rapid social change.’

Arab News reports that Saudi practitioners say "social workers are taking on a growing workload as new programs for families, children, and vulnerable groups are introduced under Vision 2030." One interviewee is quoted as saying that "demand for social workers has definitely increased in hospitals, schools and charity organizations, but many positions are still not formally recognized or adequately compensated." The article highlights that while social services are expanding, "official labor statistics do not yet capture the full scale of employment in social work," making it difficult to quantify growth in professional posts.

Background literature on social work in Saudi Arabia describes it as historically underdeveloped, with most care provided by families and charities. Since the announcement of Vision 2030, government strategies have emphasized investment in human capital, expansion of health and education services, and development of the nonprofit sector. Academic and policy analyses commonly report that this has increased demand for professionalized social services, including social workers, in hospitals, schools, child‑protection agencies, and rehabilitation programs, though the supply of qualified social workers has not always kept pace.