SAUDI GAZETTE

JEDDAH — The General Authority for Statistics (GaStat) is set to start five socio-economic surveys on Tuesday.

The surveys will target 35,000 families and 53,000 establishments, said Taiseer Al-Mufarrej, spokesman for GaStat.

He said 1,600 researchers would be part of the projects that will end on Aug. 2.

The surveys will collect and analyze data to help decision makers with regard to issues such as unemployment, contribution of individuals to the national economy and different types of commercial activities in the market, Al-Mufarrej pointed out.

The data will include a sample of residents who are above 15 years old to determine the number of individuals who are economically active and their gender, he said.

All researchers involved in the projects will be carrying official work IDs and will be involved in surveys to study economic indicators, commercial and construction activities and tourism.

Al-Mufarrej called on both Saudis and expatriates to cooperate with the survey teams, stressing that all information provided will be kept confidential and will be the basis for decision making in various government departments.