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Saudi Arabia Advances 10 Ranks Internationally in Gender Pay Gap

The Saudi government has enacted many laws to improve the labor market and enhance women’s participation in various sectors. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi government has enacted many laws to improve the labor market and enhance women’s participation in various sectors. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Advances 10 Ranks Internationally in Gender Pay Gap

The Saudi government has enacted many laws to improve the labor market and enhance women’s participation in various sectors. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi government has enacted many laws to improve the labor market and enhance women’s participation in various sectors. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia has achieved remarkable progress in the fields of training and gender balance in the labor market, after it approved several regulations and legislation for the development of human capabilities and women empowerment.

Last year, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman launched the Human Capacity Development Program, within the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which constitutes a national strategy aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of national capabilities at the local and global levels.

Pointing to the global report on the gender gap, which was recently issued by the World Economic Forum, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) said that Saudi Arabia advanced 10 places in the index of equal wages for similar work for both genders, to achieve the 16th place worldwide, and 12 places in terms of the percentage of women’s participation in the labor force.

With regard to training, the Kingdom jumped 22 ranks in the employee training index to achieve the 14th place globally, and 12 ranks in vocational training, to occupy the 9th rank in this indicator, according to the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY).

The Saudi Council of Ministers has recently approved the adoption of the national policy to encourage equal opportunities and equal treatment in employment, which aims to eliminate any discrimination in this field.

The percentage of women’s participation in the local labor market during the past year reached 37 percent, exceeding the target of 30 percent, which was set within Vision 2030.

The MHRSD recently announced that the percentage of commitment to the new decisions and regulations by establishments operating in the labor market reached 98 percent, while the percentage of commitment to wage protection reached 80 percent. The rate of the amicable settlement of labor disputes rose to 74 percent.

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Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)

Severe wildfire seasons are increasingly hurting western Canada's lucrative tourism industry, with some visitors beginning to avoid the busy late-summer months due to concerns about uncontrolled blazes, smoke-filled skies and road closures.

After a scorching start to July, nearly 600 wildfires are now ablaze across British Columbia and Alberta, including a huge fire that this week devastated the picturesque tourist town of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.

Dozens of communities, including popular holiday spots in British Columbia's Kootenay region, are under evacuation orders and several highways are closed.

This year's surge in wildfire activity comes after Canada endured its worst-ever year for wildfires in 2023, when more than 15 million hectares (37 million acres) burned, including parts of the city of West Kelowna in the heart of British Columbia's wine region.

Ellen Walker-Matthews, head of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, said the industry was seeing a lot more last-minute travel decisions instead of booking in advance.

"It's a huge blow. July and August are traditionally the busiest months in the region," said Walker-Matthews, adding that while her region has been relatively unscathed by wildfires this summer, some visitors are choosing to avoid interior British Columbia altogether.

The members of the British Columbia Lodging and Campgrounds Association are reporting a 5-15% drop in bookings from a year ago, with the biggest declines coming from the hotter Okanagan and Cariboo regions, said Joss Penny, who heads the association.

"The concern is that this is something we have to live with and we have it every year now," said Penny.

Although wildfires in Canada's forests are natural and common, scientists say drier, hotter conditions fueled by climate change are leading to more volatile and frequent blazes.

'SMOKEY SKIES'

Some events, like the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, usually held in August, have now been rescheduled to earlier in the summer to avoid what is now seen as peak smoke season. The festival, which was cancelled last year due to nearby wildfires, was this year moved to July to benefit from "less smokey skies."

Wildfires and extreme climatic events are prompting tourists to "change their plans not just temporarily, but permanently," said Elizabeth Halpenny, a tourism researcher and professor at the University of Alberta, noting that seasonal workers in the sector are often the hardest hit as they have few protections during a bad season or amid a cataclysmic fire.

Tourism contributed C$7.2 billion to the British Columbia economy in 2022, and C$9.9 billion to Alberta in 2023, according to the latest government data.

Jasper National Park is one of Canada's premier tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors a year flocking to see its pristine mountain landscapes and abundant wildlife, including grizzly bears, moose and elk.

Kelly Torrens, vice-president of product at international tour company Kensington Tours, described western Canada as a bucket-list destination. But the company now has 49 trips that were supposed to pass through Jasper this season in limbo. Six others were forced to evacuate the park when the fire hit.

Parks Canada has cancelled all camping reservations within Jasper National Park until Aug. 6 and with potentially 50% of the town's structures destroyed by fire, the cleanup and rebuild could take years.

Halpenny is among those hedging their bets.

"I've booked a campsite stay in the mountain parks but at the same time, I booked a campsite out on the prairie somewhere and that's my backup plan because I don't want to miss out on my vacation with my family."