Social work
4–5 years- You study
- Social work principles
- Jobs
- Social worker, Social counsellor
- Average for the health field · Age 25–29
- 10,500SAR
Average monthly pay in the health field for Saudi bachelor’s holders, GASTAT Labour Force Survey 2024 (1445–1446 AH)3; many earn less. Pay in a first job is usually lower.
Forecasts published in other countries for the occupation Social workers: leaning to growth (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, August 2026 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1448 AH); Employment and Social Development Canada, June 2025 · Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 – Muharram 1447 AH)1,2. They are not a forecast for the Saudi market, nor by DataPulse.
Where is Social work taught?
Taught at 9 universities: 9 government and 0 private.
Riyadh
- Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic UniversityGovernment
- King Saud UniversityGovernment · men and women
- Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman UniversityGovernment · women
Makkah
- King Abdulaziz UniversityGovernment
- Umm Al-Qura UniversityGovernment · men and women
Qassim
- Qassim UniversityGovernment · men and women
Eastern Province
- Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal UniversityGovernment
- King Faisal UniversityGovernment
- University of Hafr Al BatinGovernment
From university pages, admission guides and the Ministry’s Study in Saudi platform4. Gender is tagged where the university publishes it per programme.
Compare with…
A side-by-side view, not a judgement that one major is better. Figures are for the broad field, so two majors in one field share the same figures. Figures: bachelor’s, both sexes, 2024 (1445–1446 AH)35
| Social work | Family and childhood studies | Psychology |
|---|---|---|
| Field in the survey | ||
| Health and welfare | Health and welfare | Social sciences, journalism and media |
| Length of study | ||
| 4–5 years | 4–5 years | 4–5 years |
| Taught at | ||
| 9 universities | 1 university | 21 universities |
| Men | ||
| Offered | Not found offered | Offered |
| Women | ||
| Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Holders of the field working | ||
| 93.5% | 93.5% | 92.0% |
| Unemployment in the field | ||
| 6.5% | 6.5% | 8.0% |
| Average wage in the field (SAR) | ||
| 12,437 | 12,437 | 10,850 |
| An occupation of its graduates and generative AI | ||
| not exposed | not exposed | — |
Availability for men and women from university pages and the Ministry’s programmes platform; last checked 24 October 2026 (13 Jumada al-Ula 1448 AH).
What do Social work students learn?
Learning to help individuals and families solve problems and reach community support.
- Social work principles
- Work with families
- Work with groups
- Field training
In Arabic: الخدمة الاجتماعية
How many years is Social work?
4–5 years. The length may differ between universities depending on the foundation year.
What jobs do Social work graduates do?
Examples of graduates’ jobs, not a full or ranked list. A job is an occupation; the major is one route to it:
- Social worker
- Social counsellor
- Care staff
- Program coordinator
Charities and hospitals, with home visits and some cover shifts.
- Mixed
- Sometimes shifts
- Sometimes outside the city
- Moderate physical effort
What do Social work graduates earn?
GASTAT does not publish pay for each major; this is the average for the “Health and welfare” field among Saudi bachelor’s holders, 2024 (1445–1446 AH)3.
What is unemployment in the health field?
Unemployment among Saudi graduates of the field (bachelor’s, all ages)3:
For the whole field, not this major alone. Past measurement, not a forecast.
Official decisions and signals
- The job “Social worker” is little affected by AI. May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH) (occupation, not major)6
References
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment projections for “Social workers” (BLS 21-1020), 2025–2035 (1446–1457 AH).
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System, “Social workers” (COPS 41300), 2024–2033 (1445–1455 AH).
- General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Labour Force Survey: Saudi bachelor’s holders in “Health and welfare”, 2024 (1445–1446 AH).
- Programme pages on university websites, last checked 26 October 2026 (15 Jumada al-Ula 1448 AH).
- International Labour Organization, global index of occupational exposure to generative AI, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).
- International Labour Organization · occupation code 2635, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).