Over Half A Million Expats Left The Saudi Labour Market Last Year

An official report by a government body has put some interesting insights on the situation of the Saudi labour market.

According to Al Bilad Daily, a report by the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) has shown that 558,716 expat workers left the labour market in 2017.

During the same year, the number of Saudis in the labour market has risen from 1,862,118 to 1,983,907, growing at a rate of 6.5 percent.

In 2017, the number of unemployed Saudi citizens has decreased by 7%. This is largely due to a higher number of Saudis working in the private sector.

The government has taken a number of initiatives over the past few years that would help see more Saudis fill private sector jobs. Some of the main efforts by the government in this ordeal include changing the level of Saudization as part of the Nitaqat program and Saudization of malls and gold and jewelry shops.

To support Saudi female workers, the Qurrah initiative was started that supports the nursery expense for children.

Female workers are also set to benefit from another initiative that covers their transportation costs.