The overall unemployment rate for locals and expats declined 0.5 percentage points y-o-y to 3.7% in 3Q 2024, according to a Gastat’s latest labor market report (pdf). Local unemployment fell 1 percentage point y-o-y to 7.8%, while expat unemployment was down 0.1 percentage points, settling at 1.4%.

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MEANWHILE- The employment-to-poulation ratio of Saudi citizens rose to 47.4% in 3Q 2024, up from 46.3% in the same quarter of the previous year.

Fewer women are unemployed: The unemployment rate for women citizens fell 3 percentage points y-o-y to 13.6% during the quarter, while unemployment for men remained unchanged from last year at 4.7%.

How are people looking for jobs? The most common job search strategy, used by 87.7% of job seekers, is reaching out to friends or family for leads. This is followed by submitting direct applications to employers (75.0%) and utilizing the national employment platform, Jadarat (71.2%).

More insights: Some 60.9% of unemployed Saudi women and 44% of unemployed Saudi men are willing to commute for at least one hour to work. The majority of unemployed Saudi women (77.5%) and unemployed Saudi men (91.1%) are willing to work eight hours or more per day. Also, some 95.6% of unemployed Saudis are open to accepting job offers in the private sector.

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