30.09.202607:49:06UTC+00Saudi Arabia Jobless Rate Edges Down to 3.0%

Saudi Arabia’s unemployment rate declined to 3.0% in the second quarter of 2026, down from 3.1% in the previous quarter, reaching its lowest level since Q1 2025. The jobless rate among non-Saudi nationals fell by 0.2 percentage points to 1.3%, while unemployment among Saudi nationals rose by 0.1 percentage points to 6.5%.

By gender, unemployment among women increased to 7.6% from 7.2% in Q1, whereas the rate for men edged down to 2.1% from 2.2%. The overall labor force participation rate held steady at 67.2%, and the employment-to-population ratio inched up to 65.2% from 65.1%.

Survey results indicated that 96.7% of unemployed individuals were willing to accept job offers in the private sector. There was also notable flexibility regarding work arrangements: 62.2% of unemployed women and 46.7% of unemployed men were prepared to commute for an hour or more. In terms of daily working hours, 70.0% of unemployed Saudi women were willing to work at least eight hours a day, compared with 82.9% of unemployed Saudi men.