Saudis Q2 unemployment rate hits lowest since 2016 despite rise in jobless women

Saudis Q2 unemployment rate hits lowest since 2016 despite rise in jobless women
Saudi unemployment in women increased by 1.1 percentage point to 22.3 percent in the second quarter of 2021 (Shutterstock)
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Updated 30 September 2021
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Saudis Q2 unemployment rate hits lowest since 2016 despite rise in jobless women

Saudis Q2 unemployment rate hits lowest since 2016 despite rise in jobless women
  • Unemployment rate of Saudi women increased by 1.1 percent to 22.3 percent in the second quarter of 2021

RIYADH: Saudis unemployment rate fell to the lowest level since at least the second quarter of 2016, even as more men are finding jobs in the economy than women.

Unemployment rate of Saudis has decreased to 11.3 percent in the second quarter of 2021, on the back of ongoing government efforts to boost local employment in the private sector. 

According to estimates of the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) based on the Labor Force Survey, the unemployment rate of the total working age Saudi population decreased from 11.7 percent during the first quarter of 2021.

Unemployment rate among Saudi men went down noticeably by 1.1 percentage point to 6.1 percent in the second quarter of 2021 from 7.2 percent in the previous quarter.

The same indicator for Saudi women increased by 1.1 percentage point to 22.3 percent in the second quarter of 2021 from 21.2 percent in the first quarter of 2021.