From Oil to Offices — and Beyond

Nov 13, 2025

Minimalist red-and-beige illustration showing a Saudi man walking from an oil pumpjack toward a modern office building, symbolising Saudi Arabia’s transition from oil-based work to skill-driven service jobs.

A minimalist illustration of Saudi Arabia’s shift from oil to modern service work, reflecting the country’s changing labour landscape. (Source: DALL E)

A few weeks ago, I came across an article on the need for "good jobs" in Gulf service sectors, which made me reflect on how sharply the nature of work in Saudi Arabia has shifted. I laughed with friends recently as we browsed the course offerings now promoted by the government — programmes that, in the 1980s, we could not have imagined leading to real employment. Fashion design, electricity, and plumbing would all have seemed far-fetched. One course about elevators — whether styling or maintenance, I can’t quite remember — stood out. Its mere existence shows how new forms of skilled work are emerging in areas that once had no space in the local market. The breadth alone signals progress.

The move toward skill-intensive and export-oriented services marks more than an economic pivot; it is reshaping workplace culture and expectations. I come from a generation where public-sector security was the default and imagination about career possibilities was limited. With few opportunities in new fields, there was little incentive — and little social acceptance — to pursue them.

But defining what constitutes a ‘good job’ remains the first step. In today’s service economy, a good job is increasingly one that is skill-heavy, especially in high-value sectors such as tourism, finance, transportation and logistics, technology, and, increasingly, AI. These roles rely more on merit than on quotas, and they reward competence over connections.

They also come with new workplace norms. Much has changed: Saudis are entering fields once avoided, from sports management to service work, often with family encouragement rather than resistance. The old reluctance was tied not just to a lack of demand but to questions of social standing. That hesitation has not vanished, but it has weakened.

Tourism, logistics, finance, and AI are therefore not merely growth industries; they are arenas where people navigate shifting expectations around mobility, professionalism, and status. The real challenge now is not just creating these jobs, but ensuring society is ready to embrace them.