Mulligan, Cian

  • Primary Program Energy Macro & Microeconomics
  • Research Interests Labor Economics, Green Jobs, Employment Policy, Local Content Policy

Biography

Cian has been a member of the Energy Macro- and Microeconomics team since March 2018. Focusing on analyzing the employment benefits of the energy transition, he has authored a series of studies that shed light on issues relevant to the modern Saudi labor market in light of Saudi Vision 2030. His recent research interests include analysis of green jobs in Saudi Arabia, Saudi female labor force participation, and optimizing local content policy design. He has presented research at multiple international conferences and worked and studied in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Taiwan, as well as his native country of Ireland.

Publications

See all Cian’s publications
  • Discussion papers
  • Report
  • Data Insight
  • Instant Insights
  • Commentaries
  • External journal article
  • Think20 (T20)
Measuring Green Jobs in Saudi Arabia: Saudis in Green Occupations

Measuring Green Jobs in Saudi Arabia: Saudis in Green Occupations

This paper offers the first estimate of employment in Saudi Arabia that can be linked to the energy transition. Using a task-based taxonomy devised by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics applied to detailed administrative data on Saudi workers, it is estimated that in 2022 almost 30% of all Saudi workers in the private sector were employed in “green” occupations. 

11th August 2024
Employment Potential of Renewable Energy in Saudi Arabia: A Value Chain Analysis

Employment Potential of Renewable Energy in Saudi Arabia: A Value Chain Analysis

Localization and local content mandates are an increasing presence in the global investment landscape, and the development of local content policy in Saudi Arabia will be an important factor in the lasting legacy of Vision 2030. While virtually all industries are targeted by local content mandates in Saudi Arabia, a sector tipped for strict targets and maximum local value added is renewable energy production. This is no surprise, as the abundant natural resources of sun and wind make the Kingdom well placed to be globally competitive in the sector, and as the industry is still in its infancy, an opportunity exists to localize from the ground up. This paper looks at the employment possibilities across the value chain of solar PV and onshore wind and, applying the unique characteristics of the Saudi labor force, investigates where localization mandates should target in order to optimize the benefits to the Saudi economy.  

22nd October 2023
Gasoline and Diesel Prices in the OECD, China, and India: How Do They Behave During Volatile Times?

Gasoline and Diesel Prices in the OECD, China, and India: How Do They Behave During Volatile Times?

The collapse of crude oil prices in 2020, driven by the effects of COVID-19, the recovery packages implemented in 2021 to overcome the crisis, and the recent geopolitical conflicts in 2022, have marked a distinctive three-year period in the oil market. Furthermore, the public discontent regarding high record prices has spurred collaboration between KAPSARC, the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ), and the Italian Association of Energy Economics (AIEE). Together, they have compiled a dataset aimed at elucidating how the prices of gasoline and diesel evolved during this three-year span and which factors played a more significant role in determining the prices. Presented at a country level on a monthly basis, the data facilitates the identification of structural variations in gasoline and diesel prices across different OECD regions, as well as in China and India.

22nd November 2023
Saudis in the Private Sector: Women Leading the Way

Saudis in the Private Sector: Women Leading the Way

In Q3 2018, 30% of Saudi employment was in the private sector, and by Q1 2022 this had increased to 46%. A major driver of this increase was the comparative outperformance of Saudi women, of whom over 60% now work in the private sector, compared with 40% of Saudi men. At the beginning of the series in Q3 2018, over 75% of employed Saudi women worked in the public sector. However, in the same period Saudi female labor force participation increased from under 20% to 34% – fulfilling a major policy objective of Saudi Vision 2030.

7th December 2022
COVID-19 and Employment in Saudi Arabia: An Initial Assessment

COVID-19 and Employment in Saudi Arabia: An Initial Assessment

In the space of a few short weeks in March, the COVID-19 pandemic took over every aspect of our lives and caused the global economy to grind to a standstill. Health concerns over the spread and mortality rate of the virus understandably took priority in the first phase of the pandemic, as governments issued travel bans and lockdowns in an attempt to limit uncontrolled community spread and prevent overloading of national health systems.

28th May 2020
How to Empower Saudi Women in the Labor Force?

How to Empower Saudi Women in the Labor Force?

In the week when Saudi Arabia celebrated its first anniversary of women drivers in the Kingdom and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accepted the chair of the G20 summit for 2020, G20 countries – including Saudi Arabia – reaffirmed their commitment to furthering the empowerment of women in society. Pew Research also released a report showing that Saudi Arabia had the fastest growing female labor force participation rate of all the G20 countries. Increasing female labor force participation, a key target of Saudi Vision 2030, is a key indicator of female empowerment. In light of these developments, it is worth taking a look at the factors that influence female labor force participation.

7th July 2019
Green Jobs and the Saudi Gender Wage Gap: Explained and Unexplained

Green Jobs and the Saudi Gender Wage Gap: Explained and Unexplained

Saudi Arabia has made great strides recently in increasing female labor force participation, reaching the Vision 2030 goal of 30% in late 2020, almost a decade early. With labor force participation achieved, the conversation now turns to labor market outcomes, and an increasing gender pay gap in particular. Following a recent discovery that Saudi women are lagging behind men in uptake of green jobs – jobs that are either created, augmented or see increased demand as a result of the energy transition and associated climate commitments -, this group of occupations is used to analyze the source of this widening wage gap.

1st September 2024
Renewable Energy and Job Creation: An Automation Risk Assessment

Renewable Energy and Job Creation: An Automation Risk Assessment

The necessity of a green transition from traditional energy sources to renewable alternatives has brought with it optimism regarding the employment benefits of this change. Announcements of major renewable energy projects include forecasts of thousands of associated direct, indirect and induced jobs.

20th September 2023

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