The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) released its Labor Market Bulletin for the first quarter of 2021, based on estimates from the quarterly Labor Force Survey conducted by the Authority, The results showed a decline in the unemployment rate for the total Saudi and non-Saudi population (aged 15 and older) based on the Labor Force Survey estimates for the first quarter of 2021, reaching (6.5%), compared to (7.4%) during the previous quarter (the fourth quarter of 2020), while the unemployment rate for the total Saudi population (males and females aged 15 and older) fell to (11.7%) in the first quarter of 2021, compared to (12.6%) during the previous quarter.
The survey results showed a decline in the unemployment rate for the total male population in the Kingdom, based on estimates from the Labor Force Survey for the first quarter of 2021, reaching (3.7%) compared to (4.0%) in the previous quarter. The unemployment rate for the total female population also decreased from (20.2%) in the previous quarter (the fourth quarter of 2020) to (16.1%) in the first quarter of 2021. The unemployment rate for Saudi women fell to (21.2%) during the first quarter of 2021, compared to (24.4%) in the previous quarter (the fourth quarter of 2020), based on estimates from the Labor Force Survey.
The survey results revealed a slight increase in the economic participation rate of the total population (Saudis and non-Saudis aged 15 and older) during the first quarter of 2021; reaching (61.1%) compared to (61.0%) in the previous quarter.
The results indicated a decline in the labor force participation rate for the total male population (aged 15 and older) in the first quarter of 2021, reaching (79.7%) down from (80.6%) in the previous quarter, while the labor force participation rate for the total female population (aged 15 and older) rose in the first quarter of 2021 to (33.6%), compared to (32.1%) in the previous quarter (the fourth quarter of 2020).
The survey results showed a decline in the economic participation rate for the total Saudi population (males and females aged 15 and older), which stood at (49.5%) in the first quarter of 2021, compared to (51.2%) in the previous quarter (the fourth quarter of 2020), with the economic participation rate in the labor force for Saudi males (aged 15 and older) (66.2%), while the labor force participation rate for Saudi women (aged 15 and older) was (32.3%), based on estimates from the Labor Force Survey for the first quarter of 2021.
The General Authority for Statistics clarified that the Labor Market Bulletin bases its results on two data sources: the first is a household survey conducted by the Authority under the category of (Social Statistics), in which information is collected from a representative sample of households across the Kingdom’s various administrative regions through the completion of an electronic questionnaire containing a number of questions, which provides estimates and indicators related to the labor force of the working-age population (aged 15 and older) residing in the Kingdom, as well as estimates of the economically active and inactive population (both within and outside the labor force), as well as calculating key labor market indicators such as unemployment rates, labor force participation rates, employment rates, and others.
The second data source consists of data and information recorded and updated by government agencies related to the labor market, generated through the official electronic registration and documentation processes followed by these agencies, where the following entities: (the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, the Human Resources Development Fund, the General Organization for Social Insurance, and the National Information Center) provide the Authority with their recorded data on a periodic basis via electronic linkage, as these entities serve as the primary sources of data on employees in the government and private sectors.