Saudi Unemployment Falls to 6.4% in Q1 2026

Unemployment among Saudi citizens fell to 6.4% in the first quarter of 2026, down from 7.2% in the final quarter of 2025, according to the latest Labor Force Survey conducted by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).

The 0.8 percentage-point drop keeps the rate well below the 2016 baseline of 12.3%, reflecting a steady improvement in the labor market over recent years. The overall unemployment rate for the total population, including both Saudis and non-Saudis, also declined to 3.1% from 3.5% in the previous quarter, a fall of 0.4 percentage points.

Notable gains for Saudi women

The figures show a particularly strong improvement for Saudi women, whose unemployment rate dropped by 1.3 percentage points to 9.0%, down from 10.3% in the fourth quarter of 2025. Among Saudi men, the unemployment rate stood at 4.9% in the first quarter of 2026.

The unemployment rate among non-Saudis remained low at 1.5%, underlining the different dynamics between the citizen and expatriate segments of the workforce.

For residents and job seekers across the Kingdom, the latest numbers point to a widening pool of employment opportunities and continued momentum in workforce participation. The gains for Saudi women in particular reflect broader efforts to expand access to jobs and bring more nationals into the labor market, an aim closely tied to national economic development goals.

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