S Arabia job rate drops to 9.7pc

RIYADH, Sept 29 (Arab News): The unemployment rate for Saudis decreased to 9.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2022 fueled by government reforms directed at the labor market, according to data released by the General Authority for Statistics.
Additionally, the rate has dropped 0.4 per centage points compared to the first quarter of 2022.
This comes as the labor force participation rate of Saudis increased by 1.7 percentage points to reach 51.8 percent, and the employment-to-population ratio of Saudis increased by 1.7 per centage points, reaching 46.8 per cent compared to the last year, the GASTAT report added.
The unemployment rate among Saudi males fell to reach 4.7 per cent, dropping down by 0.3 per centage points from the first quarter of 2022.
“The decrease in the unemployment rate of Saudi males this quarter coincided with both an expansion of labor market participation and employment growth, where the participation rate went up by 1.5 per centage points to 67.5 per cent and the employment-to-population ratio increased by 1.6 per centage points reaching 64.3 per cent,” GASTAT said in the report. Similarly, Saudi female unemployment inched lower by 0.9 percentage points from the first quarter to 19.3 percent in the second quarter of 2022.