RIYADH — The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) has revealed that the unemployment rate among Saudis recorded a significant drop, which hit 8 percent during the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to 9.9 percent in the third quarter of the year. There has also been a decrease in the unemployment rate for the total population in the Kingdom, which reached 4.8 percent compared to the third quarter of 2022, according to the Labor Market Bulletin released by GASTAT. This decline was attributed mainly to the enhanced government activities, as well as the role of the private sector in the employment generation process. These exceed the expectations despite the economic conditions experienced by most countries of the world, including the G20 countries, due to the economic challenges and geopolitical factors that they are going through. The low level of unemployment in the Kingdom also comes as a result of legislation and Saudization programs, job support schemes and follow-up on establishments by all relevant government agencies. This has been instrumental in scoring a record that has not been achieved before at the level of the unemployment rate for the total population. The plans and initiatives under the Kingdom's Vision 2030, and the reforms, legislation and launch of promising sectors have all contributed to achieving the highest labor force participation rate. The GASTAT report also revealed that the significant fall in the unemployment rate reflects the great impact of the plans and programs of the Vision 2030, which set creating job opportunities for Saudis as one of its most important priorities. It also noted that the seasonal job opportunities in the fourth quarter of 2022 had an impact on reducing unemployment rates and providing jobs, which in turn contributed to enhancing knowledge and acquiring cumulative experiences to compete in the labor market at various levels. GASTAT revealed that while there has been a decrease in the unemployment rate for Saudis in general, the unemployment rate for Saudi women significantly dropped in the fourth quarter of 2022, reaching 15.4 percent compared to 20.5 percent in the previous quarter. The unemployment rate for Saudi males decreased to 4.2 percent compared to 4.3 percent in the previous quarter. These positive results come in conjunction with the Saudi economy recording the highest growth in gross domestic product (GDP) — 8.7 percent. This is the highest growth rate among the G20 countries. The decline in Saudi unemployment rates is consistent with the results of the employment survey by the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) in December 2022 wherein a strong growth in the acceleration of job creation was witnessed. The PMI index reading recorded 52 points, and this was the highest figure in the past five years since January 2018. GASTAT also noted that the high participation rate in the labor force for Saudis confirms the attractiveness of the labor market and its role in employing and absorbing Saudis. The number of male and female Saudi workers registered in the social insurance system reached a record figure of 2.2 million.
