Saudi Arabia among Coursera’s list of top 10 countries in business skills

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has been ranked among the top 10 countries in the world for its workforce’s overall business skills, as the Kingdom continues to show its proficiency in areas like accounting, human resources, strategy and operations, according to US-based online course provider Coursera’s Global Skills report.

Even though Saudi Arabia climbed up one place from 11th to 10th this year, the report noted that proficiency in technology and data science should be improved to meet the Kingdom’s digital transformation strategy which is a part of Vision 2030. 

Coursera made the report using data from more than countries that have the service of the online course provider to develop at least one skill. 

According to the report, learners from Saudi Arabia showed 91 percent business skill proficiency in accounting, human resources, strategy and operations. The report also urged the Kingdom’s workforce leaders to expand this proficiency to other sectors like finance, business analytics, and digital marketing. 

The UAE topped the list in the business skill ranking, followed by Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, and the US in the second, third, fourth, and fifth spots respectively. 

Qatar is in the sixth spot in business skills, while Denmark, Cameroon, and Germany ranked seventh, eighth and ninth respectively. 

The report stated that Saudi learners showed a 97 percent cutting-edge proficiency level in human resources, followed by accounting, and strategy and operations with 93 percent, and sales with 89 percent. 

The Kingdom, however, ranks 62nd globally in technology skills proficiency and 88th in data science skills. 

The report further revealed that 682,000 Coursera learners with a median age of 34 years and about one-third of all being women, and 58 percent of these learners are pursuing their courses using mobile devices. 

“Saudi Arabia has embarked on an ambitious journey toward digital transformation, and a strong focus on enhancing the skills of its youthful workforce. The Kingdom is already preparing for its future through the Human Capability Development Program, a part of the Saudi Vision 2030,” said Anthony Tattersall, vice president for EMEA and Coursera. 

He added: “As more impactful strategies are implemented to usher in the digital economy, building a competitive and skilled workforce, especially in areas such as technology and data science, will bring long-term returns.”