Unemployment among Saudi Arabians dropped to 12.6 pct in Q4 of 2020: Authority
March 31, 2021, 9:38 am

Unemployment among Saudi Arabians dropped to 12.6 pct in Q4 of 2020: Authority

Employees work at the Saudi National Health Emergency Operations Center in Riyadh. (File photo: AFP)

The rate of unemployment among citizens in Saudi Arabia dropped to 12.6 percent from 14.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020, the Kingdom’s General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) announced on Wednesday.

The unemployment rate among male Saudi Arabian citizens decreased to 7.1 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, compared to 7.9 percent in the previous quarter, according to the GASTAT.

For female Saudi Arabian citizens, the rate of employment dropped from 30.2 percent to 24.4 percent in the last quarter of 2020, the authority said.

The labor force participation of all Saudi Arabian citizens increased to 51.2 percent in quarter four. In the previous quarter, that percentage stood at 49 percent.

The labor force participation rate among Saudi Arabian males increased to 68.5 percent, while the rate among Saudi Arabian females increased to 33.2 percent, the GASTAT said.

Citizens and non-citizens

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate of the total population, which includes citizens and non-citizens, decreased to 7.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to 8.5 percent during the third quarter of the same year.

The unemployment rate of the total male population in Saudi Arabia decreased in the final quarter of 2020 to 4 percent compared to 4.4 percent in the third quarter of the same year.

For the total female population, the unemployment rate also decreased from 24.6 percent in the third quarter of 2020 to 20.2 percent in the fourth quarter.

Women join the workforce

In August 2020, the GASTAT published a report indicating Saudi Arabia’s youth unemployment rate dropped significantly over the past four years as more women between the ages of 15 and 34 joined the workforce.

The female unemployment rate in the Kingdom decreased by 13.9 percent in the last four years, largely due to more jobs becoming readily available for women as well as the rise of literacy rates.

The Kingdom aims to provide more job opportunities for both its male and female citizens and reduce unemployment to 7 percent as part of its Vision 2030 reform plan.

“Our economy will provide opportunities for everyone – men and women, young and old – so they may contribute to the best of their abilities,” the government said on its Vision 2030 website.

source: Tamara Abueish

Image source: AFP

Levant

Egypt is Facing a Curse of Pharaohs or an Islamist Conspiracy? Five Thai pro-democracy activists charged for violence against the queen

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”