Saudi unemployment up, but locals open to private-sector jobs

Unemployment among Saudi nationals rose to 7.5 percent on a quarterly basis during the third quarter of 2025, despite a majority of locals being open to joining the private sector, official data shows.

Joblessness among Saudi males and females reached 5 percent and 12 percent, respectively, according to the General Authority for Statistics (Gastat). Overall, the 7.5 percent unemployment rate is up 0.2 percentage point compared to the second quarter of 2025 but down 0.3 percentage point versus Q3 2024. 

The workforce participation rate for Saudi males and females rose to 64.3 percent and 33.7 percent by the end of the third quarter.

The kingdom’s overall unemployment rate, which includes citizens and foreign residents, increased to 3.4 percent in the quarter ended September 2025.

According to the Gastat survey, 95 percent of unemployed Saudis are willing to accept job offers in the private sector. 

Additionally, 61 percent and 43 percent of unemployed Saudi females and males, respectively, are willing to commute to work for at least one hour. 

Further reading:

• Saudi economy in numbers
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Almost 71 percent and 87 percent of unemployed Saudi females and males are willing to work eight hours or more per day, the survey found.

Earlier in December Gastat slightly revised down its estimate of the country’s third-quarter GDP growth to 4.8 percent from an earlier reading of 5 percent.

The latest figure, however, was higher than the 4.5 percent recorded in the second quarter. The increase was driven by non-oil activities, which grew by 4.3 percent.