Unemployment among Saudi nationals
How many Saudis are looking for work and have not found it..
6.40% of Saudis in the labour force are looking for work.
Definition
The share of working-age Saudis who want work and are looking for it without finding a job. Students, retirees and those not seeking work are excluded..
Business brokerage
A central measure of how well Saudisation is working, and of whether the private sector can create jobs that absorb Saudi talent..
Reading the path
Shown: the whole series as the agency published it, 38 readings since Q2 2016.
Down by 0.80% against Q4 2025, the lowest reading of the year, and falling for 3 consecutive months now.
The last 12 periodic readings
| Period | Value (%) | Periodic change |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 6.40 | ▼ 0.80 |
| Q4 2025 | 7.20 | ▼ 0.30 |
| Q3 2025 | 7.50 | ▲ 0.70 |
| Q2 2025 | 6.80 | ▼ 1.00 |
| Q3 2024 | 7.80 | ▲ 0.70 |
| Q2 2024 | 7.10 | ▼ 0.50 |
| Q1 2024 | 7.60 | ▼ 0.10 |
| Q4 2023 | 7.70 | ▼ 0.95 |
| Q3 2023 | 8.65 | ▲ 0.35 |
| Q2 2023 | 8.30 | ▼ 0.16 |
| Q1 2023 | 8.46 | ▲ 0.51 |
| Q4 2022 | 7.95 | ▼ 1.95 |
Source record
Two sources for one seriesUp to 2023-Q3 from the DataSaudi database, and after that from GASTAT's own announcements as the press carried them (8 quarters). The open database stopped updating, so we continued from the official announcements themselves and estimated nothing.
Official data retrieved automatically from GASTAT, and archived daily in the historical record so a reading is kept with its date even if the source revises it later. Figures are never entered by hand, and never changed after publication.