RIYADH — Of the 1.5 million unemployed Saudis 300,000 hold bachelor degrees, according to a report issued by the Labor Ministry. About 130,000 Saudis graduate every year further complicating the Kingdom's unemployment situation. Riyadh region accounts for the largest number of job-seeking graduates (64,000) followed by Makkah region with 58,000 while Najran region has the lowest number of jobless graduates (5,000). During the past five Hijri years from 1431H to 1435H, about 500,000 Saudi men and women have graduated obtaining degrees in various specializations. In 1431H, the number of graduates was 85,523 which increased annually by 12.2 percent to reach 133,833 in 1435H. Graduates represent 70 percent of all levels of higher education, the report said, adding that women represented the highest number among graduates and postgraduates. According to the report, 43 universities in the Kingdom and their branches received 326,855 students during the last academic year (2014-15) for bachelor degree courses. During 1431-1435 Hijri the majority joined humanities and arts courses with 32,500 students graduating in the two fields in 1431H and 43,614 in 1435H, registering 34 percent increase. Social sciences, business studies and law courses came second with 39,842 graduates while engineering courses held sixth position with 5,947 graduates in 1435H. The number of students enrolled for bachelor degree courses during the last academic year stood at 1.28 million with women accounting for 662,000 showing 71 percent increase compared to 1431H. Riyadh region has the largest number of universities (13) against a population of 6.7 million, followed by Makkah region nine universities with a population of 6.9 million, and Eastern Province eight universities with 4.1 million population, the report said. Asir with a population of 1.8 million has two universities, so has Tabuk which has a population of 750,000. The remaining regions have a single university each with Najran having a population of 1.35 million and Qassim 1.2 million, Al-Hayat Arabic daily said quoting the report. Newly enrolled students for bachelor degree courses in 1431H stood at 227,725 against 326,855 in 1435H showing an increase of 9.5 percent. The number of female students enrolled for bachelor courses in 1435H rose to 164,363 or 50.3 percent of the total. Women enrollment for bachelor courses during the past five years jumped from 113,503 in 1431H to 164,363 or 44.8 percent, the report stated. Total male students enrolled for bachelor degrees rose from 749,238 in 1431H to 1.28 million in 1435H. Of the total students enrolled for higher education in 1435H, 4.8 percent were foreigners with their number reaching 71,773 showing a 167 percent increase compared to 1431H when their number was 26,871 students, the report said.
