In 2023, the MENA region faced a youth unemployment rate of 24.4 percent, nearly double the global average, highlighting the significant challenges young people encounter in securing decent jobs. Additionally, the region recorded the world’s lowest youth employment-to-population ratio at 18.5 percent, indicating that less than one in five young people of working age were employed underscoring the urgent need for sustainable employment pathways and skills development, particularly as digital transformation continues to reshape regional economies. To address the contextual challenge and provide sustainable value, Zain’s commitment to empowering young people and addressing skills mismatches in an evolving workforce is central to its talent strategy. By offering training programs and career development resources tailored to the MENA context, Zain is building a workforce equipped to navigate the region’s fast-evolving digital ecosystem.

To stay competitive in a telecom industry increasingly influenced by digital innovation, Zain is refining its approach to workforce management. This includes an increased emphasis on reskilling and upskilling to bridge any gaps between the demands of digital transformation and employees’ current skill sets. Globally, 75% of jobs will require advanced digital skills by 2030, and Zain is committed to preparing its teams accordingly. Through proactive engagement and skill-building initiatives, Zain aims to ensure that its employees remain aligned with the industry’s evolution, and emerging technologies while retaining top talent in a highly competitive market.

Continued education is increasingly essential for a competitive, motivated workforce in today’s fast-evolving industries. Zain embeds talent development into its strategies, prioritizing employee well-being and learning to keep its workforce agile and resilient. This commitment is highlighted in the 2024 enrollment boost in Zain’s Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity University (IDEU), empowering employees with knowledge and skills for ongoing growth. Through focused training, inclusive practices, and continuous learning, Zain fosters a workplace where all can thrive and contribute to the company’s overall success.

In 2024, while Zain’s overall workforce remained stable, the ongoing conflict in Sudan significantly affected part-time and temporary employees. The company remains dedicated to supporting those impacted by this crisis, prioritizing their safety and well-being by providing complimentary mental health services and actively monitoring the situation in the region.

For transparency and accuracy purposes in this report, ZainTECH, Bookey, ZOI, and FOO are included as separate entities.

• Employees All Contract Types – does not include outsource employees
• New hire % – Female hires are calculated by dividing no. of new-hire females with total no. of full-time employees
• Employee Turnover % – Males is calculated by dividing employee turnover – males with total no. of full-time employees
• Staff with disabilities are people with disabilities who have a long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairment, which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others
• Employee Turnover % – Females is calculated by dividing employee turnover – Females with total no. of full-time employees
• Return to work rate is defined as employees returning to work after their respective maternity or paternity leave

To cement purpose within the ethos of the organization, Zain decided to integrate purpose within the role of the Chief Human Resources Officer thus formally becoming Chief Purpose Human Resources Officer (CPHRO). The role of the CPHRO is to integrate the company’s purpose and employee purpose to guide, inspire, and drive human centricity and innovation across the organization. As a forward looking entity focused on creating value and meaningful impact for all, Zain is proactively embedding its business, sustainability, and IDE agenda, enriching the company’s sense of agency and purpose.

Following Zain’s 2022 Group-wide Employee Engagement Survey, the results were analyzed and communicated via the Human Resources department in 2023. Informed by employee feedback, the company has been developing a Group-wide reward and recognition framework in 2024, designed to reflect employees’ values, strengthen engagement, and embed a culture of appreciation across the organization.

ZANIAC, an internal platform launched in 2017, is dedicated to unlocking the potential of Zain employees by fostering innovation and supporting the incubation and development of business ideas. The platform continues to play a key role in driving internal innovation through a range of structured programs, speaker sessions, and competitions designed to nurture and advance innovative concepts.

Throughout the year, ZANIAC organized several activities aimed at encouraging employees to submit ideas that address organizational challenges and contribute to innovation from within.

• The ZAINIAC online platform continued to serve as a dynamic space where employees submit ideas, collaborate with peers, and engage in sprints and events, all aimed at enhancing and streamlining Zain’s internal innovation processes.

• ZAINIAC’s vanguard was established by the IDE department to form an active innovative group of employees from diverse backgrounds to assess, mentor, and develop the implementation of the submitted ideas on the ZAINIAC platform. The platform has 52 active members where each Zain operation has their own committee for the assessment of the submitted ideas against criteria related to innovation, ideation, operations, and nature conservation.
• Nature & Me: As part of its ongoing campaign from 2023, the ZAINIAC team launched several initiatives under the Nature & Me campaign, which tackles climate change and engraining a sustainable mindset.
  • Recycling Competition: As part of Zain Bahrain’s ongoing commitment to addressing climate change, the company launched a recycling competition to raise awareness and reduce single-use plastic usage across its offices. Recycling bins were placed strategically on each floor, initiating a two-week competition designed to encourage employee participation. This initiative achieved notable success, with an impressive 308 kilograms of plastic collected in partnership with The Global Community Shapers – Budaiya Hub.
  • No Plastic, Fantastic! Zain Jordan launched the No Plastic, Fantastic! initiative to support Zain’s sustainability strategy to reduce plastic consumption. The company eliminated plastic cutlery in its cafeteria and cups in cafes, taking a significant step toward minimizing single use plastic waste.
  • Zain Green Rewards: In September 2024, Zain launched a trade-in service to incentivize eco-friendly practices. Customers can exchange old devices for rewards, such as discounts and free minutes on new plans. In preparation for the launch, branch employees were trained to ensure they were equipped to guide customers through the trade-in process and explain the program’s benefits. As of now, 17 devices have been traded-in as part of the initiative.

In collaboration with Group Strategy, ZAINIAC launched its 2024 ‘Strategy’ campaign. The campaign introduced an enhanced Rewards program, a robust Vanguard Framework for the efficient evaluation and assessment of submitted ideas, and a Group-wide Innovation Policy, designed to foster a culture of innovation and streamline the process for ideation and execution.

The campaign’s first phase centers on unlocking Zain’s strategic potential through Purposeful Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cutting-edge B2B/B2C strategies. Innovators were challenged to leverage AI as a tool to enhance user empowerment and operational efficiency, alongside developing adaptable B2B and B2C strategies that anticipate technological advancements and evolving consumer needs. As consumer preferences evolve with rapid digital transformation, there is an increased demand for seamless interactions, enhanced data privacy, and sustainable business practices. During this phase, 165 ideas were submitted, with 20 currently under active development.

Among the campaign’s accomplishments is the Inclusive Language AI Tool, an in-house solution developed by Zain Jordan’s Data Analytics & AI team. This tool fosters inclusive communication by identifying and addressing biased or exclusionary language in company-wide communications, policies, and documents, reinforcing Zain’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity.

The second phase of Zain Group’s Strategy campaign focused on fostering intrapreneurship through the launch of the “BE A CEO” initiative, which empowers employees to transform their groundbreaking ideas into successful ventures. Designed to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship within the workforce, the campaign invited employees to present business ideas with the potential to become Zain’s next breakthrough venture. Submissions were made via the ZAINIAC platform, resulting in 85 proposals, five of which were shortlisted for mentorship and refinement. These candidates received personalized guidance to enhance their pitches, which were evaluated by ZAINIAC’s Investment Committee. The winning idea will receive funding, along with incremental paid leave to focus on launching the start-up, underscoring Zain Group’s commitment to nurturing entrepreneurial talent and expanding its portfolio through innovative initiatives.

The ZY pillar is aimed at nurturing young employees at Zain, focusing on their professional development by enhancing their skills and providing the necessary resources to help them reach their full potential at the workplace. ZY has introduced several programs over the years, including:

• Generation Z Program: This initiative onboards fresh graduates annually. Graduates receive training, development through rotational programs, and work on strategic projects. Top achievers are offered MBA sponsorships at the UK’s LBS, with notable successes including a former graduate and Forbes 30 Under 30 , Yousef Al Musaileem, now serving as CEO at Tamam, a Zain Fintech company in Saudi Arabia.
• ZY Counsel: A select group of promising young talents known for their strategic thinking and innovative problem-solving abilities. This Counsel functions as an advisory and change management team, addressing significant operational challenges.
• ZY Mavericks: Highly-skilled youth individuals who receive exclusive certifications to train their peers through the ZY Learn program. They provide support across various projects within the organization.
• ZY Learn: A dynamic, interactive training program designed by youth for youth, focusing on soft and technical skills. This initiative addresses skill gaps and prepares young employees to become future leaders.

2024 marks the ninth cycle of the Generation Z program, where six university graduates were selected to participate in a year-long intensive development program designed to strengthen their leadership, internal entrepreneurship, and innovation skills. The program was divided into four main modules: Speak Up and Pitch Up, Strategic Innovation, Green Skills, and Digital World.

Key highlights from this year’s program include:

• The six candidates rotated across various departments based on their preferences, including Corporate Sustainability, Group Strategy, Finance, and Technology.
• Completing a 125 km hike over four days in the mountainous terrain of the UK as part of a Mental Toughness Challenge, while also raising funds for Palestinians in Gaza.
• The participants completed three courses at IE University: Customer Centricity, Marketing, and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
• Spent two weeks with Omantel’s Innovation Labs, exploring the company’s innovation culture through activities such as idea filtering and hackathon preparation, and pitched six innovative ideas to streamline Omantel’s operations.
• Generation Z participants visited Ericsson Imagine Studio in Sweden for a two-day program, where they explored the next generation of 5G technology and gained insights into the pivotal role AI would play in transforming networks. The visit also highlighted Ericsson’s sustainability goals and its strategic vision for a connected and sustainable future.

ZY Counsel is a key initiative under ZY, comprised of promising young Zain employees, aimed at developing their strategic thinking and innovative problem-solving skills. The Counsel functions as an advisory group, offering insights to address operational challenges raised to the respective operating company CEOs.
This year, the Counsel underwent training in Design Thinking, Leadership in Practice, and Agile Project Management, equipping its members with the ability to contribute more effectively to Zain’s strategic objectives. In 2024, the training program for ZY Counsel was launched and a total 35 youth across Zain’s operations participated, except for South Sudan.

As part of Zain’s ongoing commitment to inclusion, the WE ABLE initiative empowers employees with disabilities (PWDs) by creating an environment that supports their growth, visibility, and leadership potential. In 2024, Zain launched an updated and comprehensive disability inclusion strategy under the WE ABLE initiative, aimed at fostering a more inclusive, accessible, and equitable environment for employees with disabilities (PWDs). Central to this new strategy is ‘The Masters,’ an Employee Resource Group (ERG) composed of employees with disabilities, who are empowered to advocate for their needs, shape their experiences, and take leadership roles within Zain.

The Masters ERG focuses on enabling PWDs to lead the conversation on inclusion while influencing key decisions that shape the organization. Through its activities, it promotes accessibility, learning, leadership, and visibility.

The new WE ABLE strategy is driven by four key impact areas:

1. A co-created and published disability inclusion strategy that reflects the input of Zain’s PWD community.
2. Ensuring that accessibility is embedded into Zain’s decision-making processes so that products, services, and experiences are inclusive by design.
3. Building a supportive community where PWDs can share experiences, develop skills, and assume leadership roles.
4. Amplifying the voices of PWDs, increasing their visibility within the organization, and celebrating their contributions.

• Conducting regular surveys to gauge employee satisfaction and inform areas for improvement.
• Offering training in accessibility best-practices for all employees.
  Regularly auditing products and services to meet accessibility standards and tracking related incidents.
• Launching mentorship programs and workshops focused on leadership and career development for PWDs.
• Creating communication channels to allow PWDs to voice concerns and contribute ideas, with initiatives to publicly recognize their contributions.

Zain’s long-term vision is to create a fully inclusive and accessible environment for PWDs by 2030. This goal is driven by three core objectives:

• Achieve a 2% increase in the number of PWDs hired within the Zain workforce.
• 90% groupwide compliance with CRPD standards across existing facilities, guided by ILO and CRPD benchmarks for physical accessibility.
• Attain full digital accessibility compliance based on global accessibility standards.
• Increase the promotion rate of employees with disabilities by at least 50% by 2030, ensuring career growth and progression opportunities across all operations.
• Ensure all operations meet or exceed their respective country-based quotas.
• Develop a data-driven foundation for disability inclusion, utilizing scientifically based insights to guide all plans and strategies.

Through this new strategy, WE ABLE aims to create an inclusive environment where every individual is empowered to thrive, and where the contributions of PWDs are fully recognized and celebrated.

In 2024, Zain partnered with BeMyEyes, a global application that connects blind or low vision individuals with sighted volunteers through live video calls. Volunteers assist users with everyday tasks, providing real-time visual support for activities such as reading labels, navigating environments, and more, fostering greater independence for those with visual impairments. With this partnership, Zain is the first long-term volunteering partner in the Middle East. This collaboration supports Zain’s commitment to accessibility and inclusion, offering employees opportunities to make a direct impact.

During the partnership, Zain will host up to 16 volunteering events organized by BeMyEyes, allowing up to 100 employees to participate per event. This is intended to help individuals with blindness or low vision through the BeMyEyes platform. In addition, a promotional blog post will profile a Zain employee living with blindness, and a communications campaign will highlight Zain’s involvement across BeMyEyes’ media channels.

In 2024, WE ABLE partnered with PurpleSpace, the world’s only networking and professional development hub for disabled employees; network and resource group leaders; and allies across all sectors and trades. The partnership between WE ABLE and PurpleSpace is designed to enrich the experience of Zain’s ERG, known as ‘The Masters,’ by offering monthly coaching sessions and roundtable discussions. These sessions provide the ERG leader with invaluable opportunities to connect with international ERG counterparts, share insights, and learn best practices. Through this collaboration, WE ABLE aims to enhance ‘The Masters’ ERG journey, fostering growth, inclusivity, and shared learning across the Zain community.

Following its revamp in 2023, BE WELL focused on promoting wellness and well-being through its pillars:

• Mental Health
• Movement
• Mindfulness, and Me.

The BE WELL initiative offers Zain employees different avenues to foster a mindful and productive working environment such as free counselling and therapy sessions, hosting of well-being workshops, and providing access to wellness programs.

In 2024, Zain expanded the program by offering the following to its employees:

• Expanded employee health insurance coverage in six of its operations to include a comprehensive range of Psychology and Psychiatry services. By offering access to mental health services, Zain aims to provide employees with essential resources for managing stress, anxiety, and other mental health challenges, fostering a healthier and more supportive workplace environment.
• Maintained its collaboration with the Kuwait Counseling Center (KCC), providing unlimited therapy sessions, with 740 sessions conducted in 2024, reaching 304 attendees. This includes sessions conducted for the children of Zain Sudan employees. As a premier psychological facility in the region for over 10 years, KCC offers a broad range of services, including psychoeducation, comprehensive assessments, therapy, and specialized training. Zain Sudan employees and their children accounted for the highest number of sessions, highlighting Zain’s dedication to supporting its employees and the families of Zain Sudan employees during the ongoing civil war.
• Under the BE WELL program. Zain also provides access to Tuhoon, the first Arabic self-help mobile app in the region, with 701 Zain employees subscribing in 2024. In addition, the program offered quarterly webinars on different topics including: “Heart Intelligence: Cultivating Happiness and Collective Peace,” which drew 80 participants; “Rising Above Burnout,” in which there were 246 attendees; and “Building Resilience,” which attracted 163 participants across Zain operations.
• 291 employees participated in Global Wellness Day 2024, which centered on reconnecting with nature.
• Zain marked World Mental Health Day by giving all employees a day off on October 10th in recognition of the importance of mental well-being.
• Zain operating companies hosted several wellness related events for employees with a focus on the importance of physical health to foster a holistic approach to well-being including: Walkathons attracting 234 participants Group-wide; exercise challenges such as the Ramadan Steps Challenge that counted 895 participants Group-wide; meditation sessions; dealing with difficulties at the workplace; and workshops on the effects of physical well-being and mental health.
• Mental health challenges, including stress, anxiety, burnout, and depression, can arise without warning and significantly impact employee well-being and productivity. Addressing these concerns is crucial as Zain aims to maintain a healthy, engaged workforce, which directly contributes to having a robust organization. To address these concerns and provide timely support, Zain implemented the Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) certification program in partnership with the Lighthouse Training Clinic in Dubai. In 2024, 23 employees were certified as MHFAs, ensuring that trained personnel are available within teams to offer immediate assistance and guidance to colleagues in need. This initiative reflects Zain’s ongoing and long-term commitment to fostering a supportive and mentally healthy workplace environment.

Established in 2017, the Zain’s Women Empowerment initiative (WE) was initiated with one main target to be achieved by the end 2030: increase women leadership to 30%. Women currently represent 18% in junior/middle management and 14% in top management. Over the years notable achievements include a 100% increase in C-Level female representation and revised maternity and paternity policies.

The initiative is divided into different areas that include:

• WE STEM: An internal pool of experts working towards supporting tech-related competitions, mentorships, and development programs.
  • In celebration of International Women’s Day, the WE Hackathon was held at Zain Jordan’s offices in March 2024. 24 talented employees across Zain’s operations and Omantel were represented with an intent to leverage AI and develop innovative solutions that advance Zain’s IDE strategy within the evolving future of the workplace. The ideas presented were centered on reducing bias in position ranking and simplifying recruitment processes to empower the workforce. 
• WE Disrupt: Transforming mindsets through Inclusion, Diversity and Equity training tackling Inclusive Leadership, Inclusion Competencies, Microaggressions and Biases.
  • 23% of Zain employees received training. Zain aims to reach 50% of employees to receive the training by the end of 2025.
• NOVA: This initiative sets a strategic plan dedicated to bridging skill and gender gaps for women in tech. Firstly, detailed survey and focus groups were conducted targeting women in tech to design a comprehensive plan to address the areas of focus. The results showed that only 19% of women in Zain have roles related to the technical industry. The results of this initiative will set out a two-year strategy designed to tackle inclusion, mindset shift, and leadership development.

The current progression of Zain’s status of its five-year target of women in leadership positions is found below:

• WE achievement: Best Workplace for Women – 2024: Zain Group was honored in the Fast Company Middle East’s Best Workplaces for Women 2024 list as the winner of the large Enterprise category. This is an acknowledgement that signifies more than just an award as it validates Zain’s unwavering commitment to IDE in all aspects of the business. The inaugural edition of the Best Workplaces for Women recognizes companies across the region that are empowering women by creating an inclusive environment. The presence of Zain Group on the list, among other reputable companies, is an affirmation of the company’s corporate leadership in this area.

Zain continues to measure its remuneration ratios across its markets to ensure it tracks and manages any gaps across the different hierarchal levels in its operations.