SAUDI Arabia’s overall unemployment rate stood at 3.4 per cent in the third quarter of this year, marking a 0.3 percentage point decline compared with the same period in 2024, official data showed, reports the Arab News.
According to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), the annual improvement came despite a 0.2 percentage point increase from the previous quarter.
Saudi Arabia’s unemployment rate fell to a record low of 2.8pc in the first quarter of the year before edging up to 3.2pc in the second quarter and rising further in the third.
The kingdom’s strengthening labour market aligns with its Vision 2030 agenda, which aims to expand employment opportunities for citizens and support long-term economic growth. Reducing unemployment remains a central pillar of the broader socio-economic reform programme.
In its latest release, GASTAT stated: “The overall labour force participation rate (for Saudis and non-Saudis) reached 66.9pc, showing a decrease of 0.2 percentage points compared to second quarter of 2025 and a yearly increase of 0.3 percentage points compared to the third quarter of 2024.”
Among Saudi nationals, the rate of joblessness reached 7.5pc in the third quarter, representing an annual decrease of 0.3 percentage points and a quarterly rise of 0.7 percentage points.
Compared to the second quarter, the employment-to-population ratio for Saudis decreased by 0.6 percentage points to reach 45.3pc. On a yearly basis, the ratio fell by 2.1 percentage points.
“The labour force participation rate for Saudis in the third quarter of 2025 decreased by 0.2 percentage points compared to the second quarter, reaching 49pc, and a decrease of 2.5 percentage points compared to the third quarter of 2024,” GASTAT said.
Labour force participation of Saudi women stood at 33.7pc in the third quarter, representing a 0.8 percentage point decline compared to the previous three months. The employment-to-population ratio of Saudi women decreased by 0.9 percentage points to reach 29.7pc.
During the same period, the unemployment rate among Saudi women rose by 0.8 percentage points to 12.1pc, compared with the previous quarter.
Among Saudi men, the labour force participation rate increased by 0.3 percentage points to 64.3pc.
GASTAT also reported that 95.3pc of unemployed Saudis are willing to work in the private sector. About 70.6pc of unemployed Saudi women and 86.7pc of unemployed Saudi men said they were open to working eight hours or more per day.
The survey found that 61pc of unemployed Saudi women and 42.7pc of unemployed Saudi men were willing to commute for at least one hour to reach their workplaces.
Among job seekers, the most common active search method was directly applying to employers, used by 73.3pc of respondents in the third quarter. About 59.4pc used the National Employment Platform, known as Jadarat, while 50.5pc searched for jobs by posting or updating CVs on social media platforms.
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