Saudi labor force figures on the rise before pandemic

Saudi labor force figures on the rise before pandemic

RIYADH: Saudi unemployment dipped below 12 percent in the first quarter for the first time in four years “” but the government data does not reflect the impact of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

The Labor Force Survey published by the General Authority of Statistics (GASTAT), which was conducted in January 2020, before the pandemic, showed that the total unemployment rate amounted to 5.7 percent in the first quarter, unchanged compared to the first quarter of the previous year.

Regional economies have been hit by the double whammy of the coronavirus and weak oil prices which has forced major employers to lay off staff throughout the Gulf and led to the departure of thousands of expatriate workers.

Last week the International Labor Organization warned the outlook for the global jobs market in the second half of 2020 was "highly uncertain“ and that employment was unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels this year. 

"The estimates have revised upwards considerably the damage done to our labor markets by the pandemic,“ said Guy Ryder, ILO director-general.

The Saudi unemployment rate decreased to 11.8 percent in the first quarter of 2020, from 12.5 percent the same period in 2019, and compared to 12 percent in the last quarter of 2019. 

The figures