Al Rajhi: Emiratisation has achieved a boom in employment and reduced unemployment to a historic level
The Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Ahmed Al-Rajhi, revealed that the Saudi labor market has achieved unprecedented record numbers, represented by a decline in the Saudi unemployment rate to a historic level of 6.8%, and an increase in the number of Saudi male and female workers in the private sector to 2.5 million citizens.
This came during Al-Rajhi’s speech, today, Wednesday, within the Saudi Arabia Budget 2026, in which he highlighted the radical transformation taking place in the national work environment.
Al Rajhi said: "The unemployment rate for Saudis reached 6.8%, which is considered a historic number for the Kingdom."
The Minister added, praising the pivotal role of the private sector: "Four years ago, the number of Saudis in the private sector was 1.7 million. Today, the number has reached 2.5 million. I attribute this to our partners in the private sector who have full faith in our young men and women."
A qualitative leap in women’s empowerment
Al-Rajhi pointed to a major leap in the participation of Saudi women in The labor market, where its contribution jumped from 23% in 2019 to 34% currently, emphasizing its distinction and competitiveness, and said: "Women have proven that they have become competent for work, and are able to perform work in a distinguished manner, and they do not compete with men, but rather complement them."
The gains of localization and the prosperity of self-employment
Regarding the nationalization programs for professions, the Minister of Human Resources explained that more than 50 nationalization decisions have been issued for more than 600 professions, pointing to the doubling of the number of Saudis in vital professions. The number of Saudi accountants jumped from 47,000 to 119,000, and the number of Saudi engineers in the private sector increased from 52,000 to 218,000.
Al Rajhi concluded his speech by pointing to the significant growth in the self-employment sector, which has become a source of job creation, and said: "We see among our young men and women not only job seekers, but founders and entrepreneurs creating businesses and employing Saudis. Today, self-employment has reached 430,000 freelancers"The Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
- For more: Follow Khaleejion 24 Arabic, Khaleejion 24 English, Khaleejion 24 Live, and for social media follow us on Facebook and Twitter
