Saudi women’s labor force participation hits 36.2 percent in Q3 2024

The latest "Labor Market Bulletin" released by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) of Saudi Arabia shows a significant increase in the labor force participation rate of Saudi women in the third quarter of 2024. This bulletin details the changes in various indicators of the Saudi labor market, providing important data support for analyzing the country's employment trends.

Data shows that the unemployment rate for Saudi nationals reached 7.8% in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 0.7 percentage points compared to the previous quarter, but a decrease of 1 percentage point compared to the same period last year. The overall labor force participation rate (including Saudi and non-Saudi workers) reached 66.6%, an increase of 0.4 percentage points compared to the second quarter of 2024. This indicates that the overall Saudi labor market is showing a growth trend.

Among Saudi nationals, the labor force participation rate increased by 0.7 percentage points in the third quarter of 2024, reaching 51.5%, a 0.7 percentage point increase compared to the same period last year. The employment-to-population ratio for Saudi nationals also increased by 0.2 percentage points, reaching 47.4%, a year-on-year increase of 1.1 percentage points. Furthermore, the participation of Saudi women in the labor market has significantly increased, with the labor force participation rate rising by 0.8 percentage points to 36.2%, and the employment-to-population ratio also increasing by 0.5 percentage points to 31.3%.

The labor force participation rate of young Saudi women (aged 15-24) also increased significantly by 1 percentage point, reaching 18%, and the employment-to-population ratio increased by 0.6 percentage points to 13.6%. At the same time, the labor force participation rate of young Saudi men also increased by 1.1 percentage points, reaching 34.6%. The overall labor force participation rate for Saudi men increased by 0.6 percentage points to 66.9%, and the employment-to-population ratio reached 63.7%.

For Saudi men and women in the prime working age group of 25-54, the labor force participation rate increased by 0.7 percentage points to 69.4%, and the employment-to-population ratio increased by 0.3 percentage points to 64.8%. These data indicate that the labor force participation rate in Saudi Arabia has increased across all age groups, reflecting the positive development trends in the country's labor market.