Gulf Labour Markets, Migration, and Population (GLMM) Programme

An international independent, non-partisan, non-profit programme hosted and supported by the Gulf Research Center. The programme provides data, analyses, and recommendations contributing to the improvement of understanding and management of Gulf labour migration, population, and labour markets, engaging with and respecting the viewpoints of all stakeholders.

Non-Saudi domestic workers by sex and main group of household occupations (Q2, 2023)

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Males

Females

Total

Housekeepers

1,298

1,142

2,440

Drivers

1,791,238

120

1,791,358

Servants and house cleaners

787,884

1,015,884

1,803,768

Cooks and food provider

58,152

3,200

61,352

House guards

22,494

12

22,506

Farmers and gardeners

2,095

0

2,095

Home tailors

501

661

1,162

Nurses and health professionals in homes

525

1,112

1,637

Private teachers and nannies in homes

25

4,586

4,611

Total

2,664,212

1,026,717

3,690,929

Source: Register-based Labour Market Statistics, General Authority for Statistics (GAStat)

1. Data collection methodology

LFS were first conducted in 2001 and became bi-annual after 2006. Data were collected through nationally representative household sample surveys, which sampling was based on most recent censuses.

Since 2016, Labour Force Surveys have been conducted and published on a quarterly basis, based on a household telephone survey conducted by GAStat. Employment data extracted from administrative records were also introduced as a complement to the results of Labour Force Surveys in Labour Market Statistics’ publications, starting on Q1 2017.

The present data is taken from administrative records.

GAStat Labour Market Statistics:

Estimates of figures and characteristics of employment in Saudi Arabia are taken from administrative records from the following institutions:

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) (formerly Ministry of Labour and Social Development):

Supplies data on Government sector’s workers.

General Organization of Social Insurance (GOSI):

Supplies data on:

a. contributors on the job who are subject to social insurance laws and regulations in the private and government sectors;

b. workers who terminated their contribution to social insurance during the quarter.

National Information Center (NIC):

Supplies data on domestic workers (data owner: MHRSD).

The category of domestic workers in Arab states encompasses professions performed within the household, such as maids, cooks, waiters, valets, butlers, laundresses, gardeners, gatekeepers, stable-lads, chauffeurs, caretakers, governesses, babysitters, tutors, secretaries etc.

These professions are classified in the class 9700 of section T of the International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities (ISIC), Rev. 4.

See: Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistics Division. “International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities Revision 4,” Statistical Papers, Series M No. 4/Rev.4, New York: United Nations, 2008, p. 269

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/publication/seriesm/seriesm_4rev4e.pdf.

Definitions and categories used by GAStat in Labour Markets Statistics (employment; unemployment; occupation and activity sectors, etc.) are based on international standards.

For LFS methodology and definitions, see: https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/node/9787.

2. Institution which provides data

General Authority for Statistics (GAStat)

3. Data availability

Since 2021, GAStat has been publishing separately the employment data taken from administrative records, and unemployment/inactivity data as well as general indicators, calculated from the results of the field interviews conducted by GAStat (Labour Force Survey).

The present time-series was taken from the Register-based Labour Market Statistics- Q2, 2023

(English and Arabic versions):

https://www.stats.gov.sa/sites/default/files/Register-based%20Labour%20Market%20Statistics-%20Q2%2C%202023En.xlsx

https://www.stats.gov.sa/sites/default/files/Register-based%20Labour%20Market%20Statistics-%20Q2%202023Ar.xlsx

Quarterly Register-based Labour Market Statistics reports are accessible from: https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/814

https://www.stats.gov.sa/ar/814

Date of access: 02 March 2024.

GLMM and GRC cannot guarantee that the link to access the source will not change; that the information will not be removed from the website it was obtained from; that no geo-blockages will be imposed; or that the information will not be available for any another reason.

Keywords: Saudi Arabia, Foreign Labour, Domestic Workers

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