The overall economic participation of Saudis has amounted to 45.5 percent in Q3 2019, up from 45 percent in the second quarter, official figures released on Sunday showed.
This rate includes both men and women aged 15 years and above and are actively seeking a job or are already employed.
The total number of employed Saudis, males and females, rose slightly to 3.1 million in the third quarter from 3.09 in the previous quarter, according to a labor market bulletin released by the General Statistics Authority.
Unemployment among Saudis fell to 12 percent in Q3 2019 from 12.3 percent in the previous quarter, moving further away from a record high of 12.9 percent in 2018.
The Authority collected its data from administrative records of the relevant authorities, namely the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, the Ministry of Civil Service, the General Organization for Social Insurance, the Human Resources Development Fund and the National Information Center.
Unemployment among Saudi women dropped to 30.8 percent in Q3 2019 compared to 31.1 percent in the second quarter. The unemployment rate for the total population, including Saudis and non-Saudis aged 15 years or more, decreased to 5.5 percent compared to 5.6 percent in Q2 2019.
According to the latest results, Saudi Arabia was ranked 11th among the G20 countries in terms of unemployment.
The Kingdom calculates the unemployment rate according to the UN International Labor Organization’s methodology to control the comparison of the unemployment rate with other countries, especially those in the G20.
Job-seekers are defined as the Saudi individuals (male or female) registered in government portals to search for work and register their personal data, qualifications and experience through an electronic system.