Unemployment among Saudis down to 7.1% in Q2 2024

The unemployment rate among Saudis fell to 7.1% in the second quarter of 2024, compared to 7.6% in the first quarter of 2024, according to the General Authority for Statistics’ (GASTAT) labor force survey.

According to data available since 1999, the unemployment rate hit an all-time low.

However, the employment-to-population ratio fell to 50.8% on a quarterly basis in Q2 2024. Saudi women’s employment also fell to 35.4% in the same period.

Meanwhile, the overall unemployment rate among the working-age population reached 3.3% in Q2 2024, compared to 3.5% in Q1 2024.

The following table illustrates the changes in unemployment in Saudi Arabia:

Unemployment Rate in Saudi Arabia
Period	Unemployment rate	Unemployment rate among Saudis
Q1 2017	5.8 %	12.7 %
Q2 2017	6.0 %	12.8 %
Q3 2017	5.8 %	12.8 %
Q4 2017	6.0 %	12.8 %
Q1 2018	6.1 %	12.9 %
Q2 2018	6.0 %	12.9%
Q3 2018	6.0 %	12.8%
Q4 2018	6.0 %	12.7%
Q1 2019	5.7 %	12.5%
Q2 2019	5.6 %	12.3 %
Q3 2019	5.5 %	12.0 %
Q4 2019	5.7 %	12.0 %
Q1 2020	5.7 %	11.8 %
Q2 2020	9.0 %	15.4 %
Q3 2020	8.5 %	14.9 %
Q4 2020	7.4 %	12.6 %
Q1 2021	6.5 %	11.7 %
Q2 2021	6.6 %	11.3 %
Q3 2021	6.6 %	11.3 %
Q4 2021	6.9 %	11.0 %
Q1 2022	6.0 %	10.1 %
Q2 2022	5.8 %	9.7 %
Q3 2022	5.8 %	9.9 %
Q4 2022	4.8 %	8.0 %
Q1 2023*	4.3 %	8.7%
Q2 2023*	4.1%	8.5%
Q3 2023*	4.2 %	8.8%
Q4 2023*	3.4%	7.8%
Q1 2024	3.5%	7.6%
Q2 2024	3.3%	7.1%

Saudis accounted for 49.1% and 50% of the labor force in the public and private sectors, respectively. On the other hand, non-Saudis employed in the private sector made up 74.6%.

Employees by Nationality and Sector in Saudi Arabia
Sector	Saudis	Non-Saudis	Total
Public Sector	49.1%	2.7%	19.0%
Private Sector	50.0%	74.6%	66.0%
Other Sectors	0.33%	22.6%	14.7%
Unspecified	0.53%	0.20%	0.32%
Total	100 %	100 %	100 %