The unemployment rate among Saudis have shown a drop for all Saudis, both male and female 15 years and above, to 12 percent during the Q3 2019, compared to 12.3 percent during Q2 2019, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. The survey results have shown a rise in the rate of economic participation for all Saudis, both male and female, 15 years and above, to 45.5 percent during Q3 of 2019 compared to 45 percent during the previous quarter (Q2). Meanwhile, the rate of economic participation among Saudi women remained constant at 23.2 percent. According to the results in the bulletin, and on the basis of data of the Ministry of Civil Service (Jadarah and Saed portal) and data of the Human Resources Development Fund (Taqat portal), the total number of female Saudi jobseekers, according to the administrative records in the Kingdom during Q3 2019 has reached 1,025,328 individuals. In this connection, the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) has defined jobseekers as Saudi individuals, whether males or females, registered in the government portals for searching for jobs at the Ministry of Civil Service (Jadarah and Saed) and the Human Resources Development Fund (Taqat). The jobseekers register their personal data, qualifications, practical experience and CVs via an electronic system in the authority that is looking for applicants. Saudis looking for jobs in the administrative records are not subject to the internationally known unemployment criteria and conditions recognized by the International Labor Organization (ILO). As a result, not all of them are considered to be unemployed. Hence, on this basis not every jobseeker is an unemployed person. He might be searching for a job when he has another job. The same is the case with jobseekers registered in the government job portals. They could be self-employed, but are not registered in the government records as employed persons. Such government registers include those of the Ministry of Civil Service, General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI), commercial registers and municipality licenses. — SPA
