Saudi Arabia's unemployment rate in the fourth quarter of 2024 decreased by 0.2 percentage points quarter-on-quarter to 3.5%. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2023, it increased by 0.1 percentage points year-on-year. This data reflects the latest dynamics in the Saudi labor market, showcasing a slight improvement in the overall employment landscape.
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03-31, 2025According to the latest data from the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), the overall labor force participation rate reached 66.4%, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points quarter-on-quarter, and a decrease of 0.6 percentage points year-on-year (compared to the fourth quarter of 2023). These figures suggest a marginal decline in the extent of participation in the labor market, indicating a need for further analysis of the underlying factors.
The report also showed that the unemployment rate for Saudi nationals in the fourth quarter of 2024 fell to 7%, compared to 7.8% in the same period in 2023. The unemployment rate for the total male population was 2%, and for females, it was 10.4%. Notably, the labor force participation rate for Saudi women increased to 36%, higher than the level in the same period in 2023, demonstrating positive progress in female empowerment.
Data shows that the unemployment rate for Saudi male nationals was 4.3%, while the unemployment rate for Saudi female nationals decreased from 13.6% in the previous quarter to 11.9% in the fourth quarter of 2024. The significant decrease in the unemployment rate among Saudi nationals aligns with the goals of "Vision 2030," which aims to create job opportunities for all Saudis by leveraging Saudi Arabia's unique geographical location and potential to attract top talent and increase global investment.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, the employment-to-population ratio for Saudi female youth aged 15-24 increased by 0.3 percentage points to 13.9%. In addition, the participation rate decreased by 0.7 percentage points to 17.3%. However, compared to the previous quarter of 2024, their unemployment rate decreased by 4.6 percentage points to 19.9%. The employment-to-population ratio for Saudi male youth remained unchanged at 29.7%, and the labor force participation rate decreased by 0.8 percentage points to 33.8%. Their unemployment rate decreased by 1.8 percentage points to 12.2%.
For Saudis aged 55 and over, the report showed that both their unemployment rate and labor force participation rate decreased compared to the previous quarter of 2024. The report also showed that Saudi job seekers used a variety of active job search methods, with an average of 5 active methods used per job seeker. Asking friends or relatives about job opportunities was the most commonly used job search method, accounting for 86.9%, followed by applying directly to employers, accounting for 73.9%, and using the National Unified Employment Platform (Jadarat), accounting for 65.4%.
The survey results also showed that 94.1% of unemployed Saudis are willing to accept job opportunities in the private sector. Furthermore, 61.9% of unemployed Saudi women and 45.2% of unemployed Saudi men are willing to commute at least one hour to work. 77.5% of unemployed Saudi women and 90.7% of unemployed Saudi men stated that they are willing to work eight hours or more per day.
