Estimates of the labor force survey conducted by the General Authority for Statistics in Saudi Arabia showed that the unemployment rate for the total working-age population (Saudis and non-Saudis 15 years and over) reached 6.6% in the third quarter of 2021, unchanged compared to the second quarter of 2021. This compared to a decrease By 1.9 percentage points compared to the third quarter of 2020, the labor force participation rate was 61.2% in the third quarter of 2021, 0.4 percentage points higher than 60.8% in the previous quarter.
For Saudis, the unemployment rate was 11.3%, unchanged compared to the second quarter of 2021, while the labor force participation rate was 49.8%, with a slight increase of 0.4 percentage points compared to the second quarter of 2021.
The survey showed an increase in the rate of Saudi female participation in the labor force to 34.1 percent in the third quarter of 2021, compared to the previous quarter, an increase of 1.7 percentage points.
The unemployment rate among Saudi women also decreased by 0.4 percentage points to reach 21.9%.
Among Saudi males in the third quarter of 2021, compared to the previous quarter, the labor force participation rate decreased to 65%, a decrease of 0.7 percentage points, and the unemployment rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points to reach 5.9%.
