The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a regional and global leader in prioritizing the needs and employment of people with disabilities. It was among the first twenty countries to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which stipulates the right of persons with disabilities to work on an equal basis with others (United Nations, 2006). Saudi Arabia has established a set of rules and regulations that guarantee this right and ensure its availability to all persons with disabilities, regardless of the type or degree of their disability, or their academic and professional qualifications. This commitment culminated in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which focuses on granting persons with disabilities their full rights and empowering them to be active members of a vibrant and integrated society that believes every individual has a vital role to play in serving their country, supporting its development, and advancing its economy. To this end, the Authority for the Care of Persons with Disabilities was established, dedicated to rehabilitating and empowering people with disabilities to participate fully, comprehensively, and effectively in society (Saudi Vision 2030).
These efforts undertaken by the Kingdom across all sectors have yielded positive results regarding the integration of people with disabilities into the labor market. As of 2021, 1,340 people with disabilities had benefited from the Human Resources Development Fund, 1,316 from the Ministry of Housing’s programs, and 866 from the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation’s training programs. Furthermore, initiatives within the National Transformation Program to empower the integration of people with disabilities into the labor market contributed to raising the percentage of employed people with disabilities from 7.70% in 2017 to 12% by the end of 2020 (Saudi Press Agency, March 2021).
However, these efforts, despite their importance and the significance of their results, remain weak and fall short of expectations. The figure of only 15% of the total (1,445,723) employed (General Authority for Statistics, 2017) means that only about 222,400 individuals have successfully entered the labor market. This number falls far short of aspirations and the level of effort exerted by the Kingdom. This raises questions about the reasons for this and the challenges preventing the achievement of the desired goals.
Numerous studies have been conducted on the employment of people with disabilities in the Kingdom, across all types of disabilities. Even those who have secured employment face challenges related to unequal wages, insufficient training for their assigned tasks, and employers’ perceptions that hiring people with disabilities is merely a legal or ethical obligation, rather than recognizing them as a valuable human resource that contributes to the organization’s growth and quality (Al-Ajmi & Al-Battal, 2015; Hassanein, 2020; Al-Khaldi, 2023).
In short, the issue of employing and integrating people with disabilities into the labor market is complex, involving the role of training and educational institutions and the quality of their curricula and methods. This includes the assessment, support, rehabilitation, and empowerment of people with disabilities with the essential communication, professional, and life skills they need. Similarly, the role of partner companies and institutions is crucial, as is their actual commitment to their responsibilities in rehabilitating people with disabilities and providing them with the means to integrate into the labor market and contribute creatively, without confining them to marginal, symbolic jobs that do not match their qualifications and aspirations. This also includes the extent to which regulations and systems are implemented and monitored by oversight bodies to protect people with disabilities and ensure they obtain jobs that suit their type of disability and training, on an equal basis with others.
Thus, employing and integrating people with disabilities into the labor market is not a simple process, but a national imperative requiring the concerted efforts of all sectors to achieve the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. Sustainable development cannot be achieved except through the efforts of all citizens, without discrimination. Therefore, in a series of articles, the researcher will address a range of topics related to the mechanisms for employing people with disabilities and facilitating their integration into the labor market. This will involve attempting to overcome challenges, from training in special education institutions to the technical and procedural aspects of the labor market within organizations and institutions where people with disabilities find employment, whether in the private or public sector.
References:
United Nations. (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Retrieved on: 17/01/2024 from: https://www.ohchr.org/ar/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-persons-disabilities
Hassanein, Hala Ahmed Suleiman. (2021). Factors Affecting the Employment of Persons with Disabilities and Their Relationship to Some Variables as Perceived by Experts. Journal of the Faculty of Education, Sohag University, 1 (82), 540-595.
Al-Khaldi, Adel bin Abdul bin Hussein. (2023). Obstacles to Employing Persons with Visual Impairments in the Saudi Private Sector in the Madinah Region. Journal of Educational and Psychological Sciences, Qassim University. 16 (1), 1-35.
Al-Ajmi, Nasser bin Saad; Al-Battal, Al-Jawhara bint Abdullah. (2015). Difficulties Facing the Employment of People with Intellectual Disabilities from the Perspective of Staff Working in Intellectual Education Institutes and Programs in Riyadh. Al-Quds Open University Journal for Educational and Psychological Research and Studies. 4(14), 238-270.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. (2016). Vision 2030. Retrieved: 17/01/2024 from: https://www.vision2030.gov.sa/media/5ptbkbxn/saudi_vision2030_ar.pdf
General Authority for Statistics. (2017). Statistics on People with Disabilities in the Kingdom. Retrieved: 17/01/2024 from: https://www.apd.gov.sa/statistics
Saudi Press Agency. (2021). Retrieved: 17/01/2024 from: https://www.spa.gov.sa/2206008