Agriculture, forestry and fishing	Mining and quarrying	Manufacturing	Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	Construction	Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles	Transportation and storage	Accommodation and food service activities	Information and communication	Financial and insurance activities	Real estate activities	Professional, scientific and technical activities	Administrative and support service activities	Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	Education	Human health and social work activities	Arts, entertainment and recreation	Other service activities	Activities of households as employer; Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies; undifferentiated goods- and services-producing activities of households for own use	Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies	Not specified	Total
Q1 2021	89,866	64,007	626,216	37,403	18,487	1,803,570	1,426,482	192,230	308,053	38,608	12,839	25,182	88,617	883,841	70,341	62,365	229,046	18,432	174,281	110	404	131,412	6,301,792
Q2 2021	87,361	62,227	613,277	37,410	18,306	1,742,895	1,382,250	193,485	306,689	37,643	12,611	24,553	87,325	844,057	78,223	58,392	234,130	18,837	167,529	114	420	117,098	6,124,832
Q3 2021	85,806	61,459	611,982	36,521	17,885	1,705,712	1,353,746	193,817	310,997	38,492	12,549	24,763	86,903	807,982	79,515	60,562	235,835	19,029	164,890	119	419	114,094	6,023,077
Q4 2021	90,183	62,230	627,008	36,533	18,283	1,755,671	1,330,197	205,458	439,731	38,056	12,895	24,420	88,300	837,078	83,754	60,845	251,008	19,557	166,359	196	434	142,300	6,290,496
Q1 2022	114,724	58,220	657,697	37,377	21,585	1,834,116	1,338,295	233,721	521,987	38,163	13,361	24,066	94,998	861,342	79,588	60,978	203,369	20,350	199,012	223	438	309,379	6,722,989
Q2 2022	158,234	40,509	708,428	6,516	69,590	2,105,858	1,288,581	298,939	511,858	49,573	16,840	41,504	112,818	951,563	62,956	75,140	212,023	18,622	215,299	99	250	153,469	7,098,669
Q3 2022	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Q4 2022	329,267	36,599	778,389	6,220	86,157	2,090,698	1,205,767	319,993	525,044	46,617	16,290	31,702	107,904	964,928	60,471	75,749	226,453	19,440	196,109	88	243	217,495	7,341,623
Q1 2023	495,115	39,424	810,469	6,316	100,914	2,172,686	1,228,816	335,369	543,139	47,524	16,522	32,236	111,935	999,359	58,374	78,429	233,374	20,264	198,215	78	232	279,057	7,807,847
Q2 2023	516,859	47,402	827,488	6,378	107,210	2,176,449	1,210,761	339,805	536,229	46,256	16,287	31,885	112,984	969,999	58,004	79,296	227,766	19,602	194,097	81	225	338,819	7,863,882
Q3 2023	120,078	49,174	860,211	6,837	126,842	2,227,945	1,208,148	363,482	537,183	45,484	16,542	31,464	115,985	938,446	56,932	83,810	225,641	18,996	192,496	76	218	890,201	8,116,191
Q4 2023	121,665	51,940	866,598	7,623	130,018	2,233,402	1,205,372	370,573	526,551	45,000	16,602	31,152	120,029	919,046	56,553	85,642	222,443	18,509	188,702	71	198	886,614	8,104,303
Q1 2024	143,492	57,965	939,706	8,800	115,375	2,418,405	1,241,277	412,744	537,539	47,827	16,867	32,704	126,321	965,916	56,437	90,571	225,911	18,828	200,990	69	209	964,794	8,622,747
Q2 2024	179,181	68,646	971,814	12,503	133,381	2,494,244	1,252,451	429,590	538,446	48,515	16,845	32,557	129,204	985,419	57,447	89,292	224,659	18,886	208,368	59	213	1,042,623	8,934,343
Q3 2024	180,956	77,780	1,006,783	13,161	137,368	2,562,464	1,253,248	451,537	536,782	49,135	16,892	32,157	132,005	1,009,595	57,125	92,949	225,189	19,081	211,165	68	211	1,112,768	9,178,419
Q4 2024	260,485	96,875	1,110,221	14,607	143,692	2,820,589	1,336,936	607,845	569,825	54,671	17,163	34,296	139,253	1,044,940	57,346	180,909	226,024	25,694	229,426	59	118	573,739	9,544,713
Q1 2025	309,326	95,109	1,168,267	15,237	142,836	2,962,223	1,361,689	629,132	576,931	54,920	17,204	34,771	141,635	1,075,106	57,328	179,883	227,819	26,237	237,190	59	116	569,869	9,882,887
Q2 2025	312,296	94,930	1,178,316	15,435	142,277	2,994,917	1,353,500	627,829	569,289	55,194	17,073	34,942	141,894	1,072,165	59,734	174,948	226,823	26,014	234,200	60	116	580,687	9,912,639
Q3 2025	232,356	88,622	1,135,188	9,243	74,058	2,992,847	1,420,291	662,578	588,389	76,853	18,709	46,876	153,866	1,174,128	59,291	181,498	238,452	29,746	261,637	63	107	777,853	10,222,651

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.

Population of reference: workers subject to the rule of the General Organization of Social Insurance (GOSI):
a. contributors on the job who are subject to social insurance laws and regulations in the private and government sector;
b. new contributors, and contributors who terminated their contribution to social insurance during the quarter.

1-Workers in the military and security sectors

2- Workers who are not registered in the civil service, social insurance (GOSI) and domestic workers’ records, which include:

– Saudis working for their own businesses and are not subjected to the labor regulations, also, not registered in social insurance,such as those who work in delivery through electronic apps
– Saudi employers who work in establishments and not registered in the social insurance
– Non-Saudi staff working in foreign international, political or military missions

3- Non-Saudi employees who come to the Kingdom for work that normally takes less than three months to be completed.

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 metadata section in report, and:

https://database.stats.gov.sa/Methodologies/En_Documents/03_Labor%20Market%20Bulletin%20Methodology,%20Fourth%20Quarter%202020%20_%20General%20Authority%20for%20Statistics.pdf
https://database.stats.gov.sa/Methodologies/En_Documents/03_Labor%20Market%20Bulletin%20Methodology,%20Fourth%20Quarter%202020%20_%20General%20Authority%20for%20Statistics.pdf

Classification of economic activities: Saudi Classification of Economic Activities, based on the International Standard Industrial Classification of all economic activities (ISIC4)
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/classifications

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 time-series was built using the quarterly Register-based Labour Market Statistics for given quarters
2023-2025: available at:
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/statistics-tabs/-/categories/417515?tab=436312&category=417515
Before 2023: available in the “archived data”:
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/statistics?index=1317550
“social statistics”, and “labour force”
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/statistics-tabs?tab=436312&category=1333429

Last date of access: 26 January 2026.

Keywords: Employment, Saudi Arabia, National & Foreign Labour

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