Saudi minister says Kingdom can reduce unemployment to less than 7% by 2030

Ahmed Al-Rajhi, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, said that the Kingdom is proceeding with the efforts of reducing the unemployment rate to less than 7% by 2030.

In an interview with Al Ekhbariya TV channel, Al-Rajhi said that the ministry’s agreements with partner entities and supervisory ministries created 420,000 job opportunities for Saudi men and women.

The initiative of improving the contractual relationship launched recently by the ministry boosts the competitiveness of the Saudi workers to be equal to that of expats, the minister said, adding that the move will offer more jobs for nationals.  

Al-Rajhi indicated that the Kingdom is among the least G20 countries affected by COVID-19, noting that 15 initiatives were launched to sustain jobs during the pandemic period.

The labor market strategy which has been recently adopted includes 11 reforms and 25 initiatives, to restructure the labor market and create more job opportunities for citizens.