Saudi Unemployment Falls to 6.4% in Q1 2026

Saudi Arabia's unemployment rate among Saudi nationals declined to 6.4% in the first quarter of 2026, down from 7.2% in the fourth quarter of 2025,

The 0.8 percentage-point drop reflected improvements for both men and women. The unemployment rate among Saudi men fell to 4.9%, while the rate among Saudi women declined to 9.0%, with both lower than in late 2025.

When measured across the total working-age population in the Kingdom, including Saudis and non-Saudis, the overall unemployment rate stood at 3.1% in Q1 2026, down from 3.5% in the previous quarter. The rate for non-Saudi workers was 1.5%.

Compared with the same period a year earlier, the Saudi-national unemployment rate was only 0.1 percentage point higher than in Q1 2025, indicating broad stability alongside the quarterly improvement.

Why it matters

The figures point to continued momentum in the Saudi labour market, particularly the steady decline in female unemployment, a key target under Saudi Vision 2030. For residents and job seekers in cities such as Riyadh and Jeddah, the data signals expanding employment opportunities across the private and public sectors. The numbers are drawn from the Kingdom's quarterly Labour Force Survey and the Labour Market Statistics publication for the first quarter of 2026.

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