This report condenses the most important changes in the labor market statistics released by the General Authority for Statistics (GaStat) for the third quarter of 2017 (July - September). The report’s main findings can be summarized in the following points:

• To achieve the goal of reducing the unemployment rate to 9%, according to the national transformation program 2020, we should increase the number of employees by 157,000 annually till 2020.
• Whereas the number of Saudis joined the workforce has increased by 69,002 workers, the number of employed persons has increased by 11,295 only. Which equals 15% of the increase in the workforce.
• The total number of foreign workers in the private sector decreased during the third quarter by 128,000. While the number of Saudi workers increased by 18,000, with a female participation rate of 60%.
• The number of workers in the public sector decreased by 8,638, approximately 80% of them being Saudis.
• The construction filed has the most shortage in the number of foreign workers where approximately 76,000 workers have dropped out and joined in about 3,000 Saudis (all of them are females) in the third quarter.
• 80% of unemployed Saudi females have at least a Bachelor degree and higher.
• 60% of unemployed Saudi males hold a high school degree or lower.
• 70% of unemployed Saudis are aged from 20 – 29 years old.
• 44% of unemployed Saudi females are looking for jobs in the public sector.
• 91% of unemployed have never been in training programs.
• Al-Madinah, Al-Bahah and Al-Jouf have scored the highest unemployment rate, with aan average of 24%.