Riyadh – Mubasher: The Project Management Institute (PMI) ’s Global Talent Gap Report revealed that the world may need up to 30 million new project management professionals by 2035, with 1.8 million professionals in the Middle East alone. This urgent need for project management professionals comes as the world moves into an era of economic uncertainty, disruption, and digital transformation .

The report showed that Saudi Arabia is likely to witness the highest growth rate in demand for project management professionals in the region, at 45.9%. This is only natural given its accelerating efforts to achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program.

The report indicated that the Kingdom is expected to need approximately 438,000 project management specialists by 2035 to meet its demand for such talent and support the implementation of its major development projects .

For his part, Hany Elshazly, Executive Director of the Project Management Institute (PMI) in the Middle East and North Africa, said that the Middle East and North Africa region is on the cusp of an unprecedented transformation driven by ambitious national agendas and some of the world's most ambitious mega-projects. This will require approximately 1.8 million project management professionals by 2035.

Al-Shazly added, "At the Project Management Institute, we are committed to equipping individuals and organizations with the skills needed to implement high-impact, future-proof projects by leveraging local talent, embracing innovation, and enabling long-term strategic success. In doing so, we aim to help the region achieve its ambitious goals and set a global standard for sustainable development and excellence."

The number of project management professionals in the Middle East and North Africa region currently stands at approximately 1.3 million, meaning that the growing demand for them will create a gap of up to 600,000 professionals, according to the report.

Today's global workforce includes approximately 40 million project management professionals, while the number of software developers reaches approximately 25 million and the number of nursing staff reaches nearly 30 million, reflecting the prevalence and importance of the project management profession .

The PMI report's forecasts are in line with the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs 2025 report, which emphasizes the importance of the project manager position as a key driver of net job growth by 2030 and ranks this profession as the 12th fastest-growing occupation globally .

The report indicated that high-growth markets are experiencing rapid transformations driven by numerous pressing needs, ranging from infrastructure expansion to accelerating digitalization, which in turn reinforces the importance of project management competencies in translating complex ambitions into tangible results.

The report noted that, on the other hand, advanced economies face increasing challenges with the retirement of experienced project management professionals and the inability of project implementation models to keep pace with evolving business requirements. Therefore, organizations that invest in modern project management talent today will have the advantage in the future .

The report emphasized that projects are the foundation of the future, but the world faces a major challenge represented by the shortage of specialized project management competencies. As the need for these skills increases across various sectors and geographies, project management competencies that possess capabilities that go beyond implementation to deliver high-value projects with long-term impact will play a pivotal role as indispensable partners to senior management in any company and will be a fundamental pillar in achieving major transformations around the world .