Saudi Arabia: Non-Saudi workers newly registered with the General Organisation for Social Insurance, by occupation category (Q3 2021-Q2 2024)

  Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023 Q1 2024 Q2 2024
Managers 954 1,205 1,743 1,789 N.A. 425 1,258 322 1,499 1,059 1,697 1,543
Professionals 15,772 15,658 24,884 18,036 N.A. 3,092 9,686 2,211 10,495 8,844 12,377 10,076
Technicians and associate professionals 5,176 10,640 5,975 6,556 N.A. 1,581 7,790 1,530 6,805 5,044 7,986 7,043
Clerical support workers 332 464 1,082 839 N.A. 251 539 378 717 722 339 1,093
Service and sales workers 5,381 12,408 25,354 13,188 N.A. 1,704 7,555 1,539 7,715 4,922 1,279 7,196
Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers 1,825 6,994 533 169 N.A. 22 161 15 106 67 9,362 117
Craft and related trades workers 8,153 26,708 23,295 11,518 N.A. 2,149 11,769 2,511 12,210 7,854 112 10,523
Plant and machine operators, and assemblers 12,063 42,361 17,841 10,354 N.A. 2,674 14,297 2,650 12,071 8,969 12,435 12,714
Elementary occupations 128,190 316,958 250,887 96,969 N.A. 20,539 66,707 11,501 54,086 36,777 14,619 49,109
Other occupations 0 8,945 61,588 39,385 N.A. 26 499 113 452 273 61,428 326
Not specified 6,955       N.A.              
Total 184,801 442,341 413,182 198,803 N.A. 32,463 120,261 22,770 106,156 74,531 121,634 99,740

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.

who were newly registered with GOSI during the period (inflows)

Registration with GOSI is compulsory for workers in the private sector and non-civil servants in the government sector, who make up about 70 percent of foreign workers.

The present data does not incorporate:
1. Civil servants
2. Domestic workers

Figures of workers in Labor Market statistics which were derived from administrative records do not include the following categories:

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:

https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/node/9787

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

https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/node/9787

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

Classification of occupations: Saudi classification of occupations, based on ISCO-08.

https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/page/292

This classification was adopted in Q1 2021.

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 Register-based Labour Market Statistics publications, given quarters and years.

(English and Arabic versions)

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

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

Date of access: 10 October 2024.

Keywords: Employment, Female Employment, Saudi Arabia, National & Foreign Labour, Highly Skilled Labour, Low-Skilled Labour

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.