Saudi Arabia's unemployment rate down to 7.6% in Q1 2024

30/06/2024 Argaam
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's flag

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's flag


The unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia fell to 7.6% in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 7.8% in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the General Authority for Statistics’ (GASTAT) labor force survey.

 

However, the employment-to-population ratio rose to 47.5% on a quarterly basis in Q1 2024. Saudi women’s employment also rose to 35.8% in the same period.

 

Meanwhile, the overall unemployment rate among the working-age population reached 3.5% in Q1 2024, compared to 3.4% in Q4 2023.

 

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%

 *Updated Data

 

Saudis accounted for 49.7% and 49.4% 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%. 

 

Employees by Nationality and Sector in Saudi Arabia

Sector

Saudis

Non-Saudis

Total

Public Sector

49.7%

3.2%

19.9%

Private Sector

49.4%

74.0%

65.2%

Other Sectors

0.4%

22.5%

14.6%

Unspecified

0.6%

0.3%

0.4%

Total

100 %

100 %

100 %

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