The unemployment rate among Saudis increased to 8.5% in the first quarter of 2023, compared to 8% in the fourth quarter 2022, according to the General Authority for Statistics’ (GASTAT) labor force survey.
Meanwhile, the overall unemployment rate in the Kingdom (Saudis and non-Saudis) reached 5.1% in Q1 2023, compared to 4.8% in Q4 2022.
Among Saudi females, the participation rate reached 36% in the three-month period.
The employment-to-population ratio of Saudis declined to 48% on a quarterly basis in the same period.
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
| 5.1%
| 8.5%
|
Saudis account for 52.6% and 47% of the labor force in the public and private sectors, respectively. On the other hand, non-Saudis employed in the private sector made up 68.1%.
Employees by Nationality and Sector in Saudi Arabia
| |||
Sector | Saudis
| Non-Saudis
| Total
|
Public Sector | 52.6%
| 3.7%
| 27.4%
|
Private Sector | 47.0%
| 68.1%
| 57.8%
|
Other Sectors | 0.4%
| 28.1%
| 14.6%
|
Unspecified | 0.1%
| 0.2%
| 0.1%
|
Total | 100%
| 100%
| 100%
|