The number of Saudi nationals in the private sector rose to 2.2 million in the second quarter of 2023.
With the close of last September, the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) revealed a decrease in the unemployment rate among Saudis in the second quarter of 2023, dropping from 9.7% to 8.3%, compared to the same period last year.
This figure approaches the government’s targets in Vision 2030, which are set at 7%.
On Monday, the National Labor Observatory, a part of the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), disclosed that the total growth in the number of Saudi workers in comparison to the same quarter of 2022 reached approximately 210,000 employees, with an average growth of 42,000 employees per quarter until the end of the second quarter of 2023.
The expansion in the number of citizen workers in the private sector can be attributed to the positive economic growth witnessed in the Saudi economy.
This growth has contributed to increasing the overall labor market size, strengthening demand for labor, and boosting productivity rates in the market.
The Observatory released a report on Saudization for the second quarter of the current year, which reviews changes in the labor market and job localization rates in private sector establishments.
The report showed that the number of Saudi employees recorded the most significant increase for both genders, with males standing at 1.3 million, compared to about 900,000 females, bringing the total Saudization rate to 22.3%
The Eastern Province took the lead, recording the highest Saudization rate of 27 percent, followed by Makkah at 24 percent and Riyadh and Madinah at 21 percent each.
The information and communications sector also achieved a strong participation rate for male citizens, reaching 60%, while education achieved the highest engagement of female citizens at 53%.
