RIYADH — The number of Saudi women employed in domestic business activities increased by 4 percent in the third quarter of 2018 compared to the second quarter of the year, the General Authority for Statistics (GaStat) announced on Monday.

According to the domestic trade survey, published by GaStat, the number of employees in the domestic trade sector reached 1.69 million by the end of 2018, of which 1.25 million are non-Saudis, representing 74 percent, while the number of Saudis make up 26 percent with 438,000.

The survey showed that the total operating revenues (sales) of the domestic trade reached SR151.39 billion during 3Q while the total operating expenses of the sector amounted to SR90.22 billion. There has been an increase of 1.12 percent in the rate of productivity during 3Q compared to the previous quarter.