Saudi ride-hailing apps, Uber and Careem are ready to help government employ 1.3 million women in the workforce by 2030 and create up to 200,000 job vacancies for Saudi men in the next two years.
In Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to drive a car, so they are dependent on male relatives and cab services for their transport. By providing a way to get to work, Uber and Careem will be supporting the government’s cause to making transportation easier for women in the Kingdom. The long-term plan is to elevate the female employment from 5% to 28% in the next five years.
The ride-hailing apps are usually discouraged because they derange the local taxi businesses. But Saudia Arabia’s government is willing to invest in Uber and Careem to aid its economic reform plan of Vision 2030. The economic plan focuses on drawing attention away from the government jobs, and creating private positions to balance the meager budget issues caused by low oil prices. For this purpose, 450,000 private sectors will be created by 2020.
Abdullah Elyas, co-founder of Careem claims to hire 70,000 Saudis by the end of 2017. Saudi ride-hailing apps can be used to book a car and a particular driver. Careem is also in talks with the Ministry of Labor to make a cheap rides program for low income working women.