GASTAT: Saudi Population’s Unemployment Rate Decreases to 4.9% in Q2 2023

10:22-28 September 2023 AD ـ 14 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1445 AH

GASTAT: Saudi Population’s Unemployment Rate Decreases to 4.9% in Q2 2023

Estimates of the Labor Force Survey issued in the Labor Market Statistics report by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) showed a 4.9% decrease in the overall unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia (for Saudis and non-Saudis) in Q2/2023 over Q1/2023, SPA reported.
The report showed an 8.3% decrease in the unemployment rate for Saudis in Q2/2023 compared to 8.5% in Q1/2023; unemployment rate among Saudi women decreased to 15.7% compared to 16.1% in Q1/2023, while it remains unchanged at 4.6% among Saudi men.
According to the report, the overall labor force participation rate in Saudi Arabia (for Saudis and non-Saudis) decreased to 60.8% in Q2/2023 over Q1/2023.
The report showed a 51.7% decrease in the Saudi labor force participation rate in Q2/2023 over Q1/2023; participation rate among Saudi women decreased to 35.3% compared to last quarter, and participation rate among Saudi men decreased to 67.5% compared to 68.3% in Q1/2023.

Kuwait's KPC CEO Says Oil Production Capacity Exceeds 3 Million Bpd

A general view of Kuwait City buildings, Kuwait, December 23, 2024. (Reuters)

11:22-21 January 2025 AD ـ 22 Rajab 1446 AH

Kuwait's KPC CEO Says Oil Production Capacity Exceeds 3 Million Bpd

A general view of Kuwait City buildings, Kuwait, December 23, 2024. (Reuters)

Kuwait's oil production capacity now exceeds 3 million barrels per day, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) CEO Sheikh Nawaf Saud al-Sabah told reporters on Tuesday.

The country's oil production capacity was at more than 2.8 million bpd in June last year, Ahmad Jaber Al-Eidan, the CEO of KPC subsidiary Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), said at the time.

Kuwait aims to boost its oil output to 4 million bpd by 2035, having previously missed a goal of reaching that level by 2020.

Commenting on US President Donald Trump's views on fossil fuels, Sheikh Nawaf said there is no alternative to oil as a primary source of energy, "neither now nor in the future".

"Perhaps this is what President Trump and officials in the United States have realized, that there must be continued exploration and production of oil, and this is what we reflect here in Kuwait. We know that demand for Kuwaiti oil will increase in the future."

Trump signed a flurry of orders within hours of his inauguration on Monday intended to boost the United States' already record-high oil and gas production.

Al-Eidan said KOC aims to reach "full production" from discovered offshore fields within eight to 10 years.

Of the 4 million bpd of oil production capacity Kuwait is targeting by 2035, 350,000 bpd of capacity is expected to come from an area called the Neutral Zone, jointly operated with Saudi Arabia.

Kuwait last year said it had made a "giant" oil discovery with estimated reserves of 3.2 billion barrels. It said on Monday it had found 800 million medium-density oil barrels and 600 billion standard cubic feet of associated gas offshore.

Sheikh Nawaf said Kuwait has completed engineering studies for the Durra gas field and is proceeding according to a plan agreed with Saudi Arabia.

GASTAT: Saudi Population’s Unemployment Rate Decreases to 4.9% in Q2 2023