Saudi Arabia's overall unemployment rate declined to 3.1 percent in the first quarter of 2026, down from 3.5 percent in the previous quarter, according to data released by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). The quarter-on-quarter decrease of 0.4 percentage points reflects continued resilience in the Kingdom's labor market, though the rate remains 0.3 percentage points higher than the same period in 2025.
Labor Force Participation and Employment Ratios
The overall labor force participation rate eased to 67.2 percent in Q1 2026, a drop of 0.2 percentage points from the previous quarter and 1 percentage point lower year-on-year. Meanwhile, the employment-to-working-age population ratio edged up slightly to 65.1 percent from 65 percent in Q4 2025, indicating modest improvement in job absorption.
Saudi Arabia has already surpassed its Vision 2030 target of reducing the Saudi unemployment rate to 7 percent ahead of schedule, and continues to prioritize increasing women's participation in the workforce as a key pillar of labor market reforms.
Unemployment Rate Among Saudis
GASTAT reported that the unemployment rate among Saudi nationals stood at 6.4 percent in the first quarter of 2026, decreasing by 0.8 percentage points compared to the previous quarter, while increasing by 0.1 percentage point year-on-year compared to Q1 2025. The employment-to-population ratio among Saudis reached 45.8 percent, down 0.1 percentage point from the previous quarter and 2.2 percentage points lower than the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
The labor force participation rate among Saudis stood at 49 percent, down 0.5 percentage points from the previous quarter and 2.3 percentage points lower than the same quarter of 2025.
Gender-Specific Unemployment Trends
The unemployment rate among Saudi females stood at 9 percent in the first quarter, representing a 1.3-percentage-point decline from the previous three months. However, the labor force participation rate among Saudi females also declined by 0.6 percentage points to 33.9 percent, while the employment-to-population ratio decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 30.8 percent, compared to the previous quarter.
Among Saudi males, the unemployment rate decreased by 0.7 percentage points to 4.9 percent. The labor force participation rate also declined by 0.5 percentage points to 64.2 percent, while the employment-to-population ratio recorded a slight decrease of 0.1 percentage point to 61 percent, compared to the previous quarter.
Job Search Methods and Private Sector Willingness
Unemployed Saudi job seekers used an average of three active job-search methods per person. Direct applications to employers remained the most common approach, cited by 74.6 percent of respondents. This was followed by Jadarat, the Unified National Employment Platform, which was used by 55.2 percent of job seekers, while 48.5 percent reported updating or posting their CVs on professional social media platforms.
Some 95.8 percent of unemployed Saudi nationals indicated they would accept a job offer in the private sector, highlighting the growing attractiveness of private employment opportunities under Vision 2030 reforms.
