RIYADH -- The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) released on Thursday the “Labor market statistics Q2, 2021”.

According to estimates of GASTAT based on the Labor Force Survey (LFS), the unemployment rate among the total working age population (Saudis and non-Saudis 15 years and above) decreased to 6.6% in the second quarter of 2021, compared to 9.0% during the second quarter of 2020.

Moreover, the unemployment rate of total Saudis (males and females 15 years and above), decreased to 11.3% in the second quarter of 2021, compared to 11.7% during the first quarter of 2021, reaching the lowest level during the last 10 years.

The unemployment rate of Saudi males decreased to 6.1% in the second quarter of 2021, compared to 7.2% in the first quarter of 2021, while the unemployment rate of Saudi females reached 22.3% during the second quarter of 2021.

The results of the survey also showed that the labor force participation rate of the total working age population (Saudis and non-Saudis 15 years and above) reached 60.8% during the second quarter of 2021, compared to 61.1% in the first quarter of 2021.

Furthermore, the results indicated that the labor force participation rate of the total male working age population in the second quarter of 2021 reached 79.2%. The labor force participation rate of the total female working age population increased during the second quarter of 2021 to reach 33.8%, compared to 33.6% in the first quarter of 2021.

The results also showed that the labor force participation rate of Saudis (males and females 15 years and above) reached a level of 49.4% in the second quarter of 2021.

The labor force participation rate of Saudi males decreased by 0.4 pp to 65.7% in the second quarter of 2021, compared to 66.2% in the first quarter of 2021. The labor force participation rate among Saudi females increased to 32.4% in the second quarter of 2021, compared to 32.3% in the first quarter of 2021.

The labor market statistics are based on two main sources. The first source is the Labor Force Survey, a sample household survey that is conducted by GASTAT. Information is collected by calling an updated sample of households over the phone. The survey provides estimates of the population inside and outside the labor force. It also provides the most important indicators of the labor market, such as the unemployment rate and the labor force participation rate.

The second source is administrative data from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, National Information Center, General Organization for Social Insurance, among others. -- SPA