The Number Of Expats Leaving Saudi Arabia Is At Its Highest Ever

While the number of Saudi women joining the labour market has been steadily rising, the number of expats leaving the country is at one of the highest ever recorded.

2017 marks a year that has seen expats going in groves. 

Over 300,000 have already left the country over a period of nine months starting from the beginning of the year.
According to Saudi government stats, the number of jobless expats stands at 66,267 in the second quarter of 2017, a figure that stood at 53,084 during the previous quarter. 

The same stats also state that expats form 9.3% of the total unemployed people in the Kingdom.

There are many reasons for the recent rise in the number of expats leaving the country that include unemployment, nationalization of jobs, levy on dependents, a growing skilled local workforce and fewer new jobs for expats.

Speaking of which, Makkah newspaper reported that new job openings for expats dropped by about 161,500 during the second quarter of 2017. 

And, with the dependent levy all set to increase next year the number of expats leaving the country shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.