Unemployment in KSA Reaches 448,000

Deputy minister of labor said that the number of unemployed in Saudi Arabia now totals 448,000 whereas more than 8 million foreigners are working in private sector firms remitting some SR98 billion to their countries annually.

Mifarih Al-Huqbani was speaking in a panel discussion in the framework of Arab labor ministerial meeting on youth employment and changes in Arab countries.

Al-Huqbani said job seekers were steadily increasing even with bigger rates than what is declared by the Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI), as Arab News stated.

Referring to unemployment rates in selected countries, Al-Huqbani said Britain has 8.7 %, the United States 8.3 %, Saudi Arabia 10.5 %, France 11.7 %, Jordan 11.9 %, and the UAE 12.7 %.

The Saudi official suggested short- and long-term solutions for youth employment. For short-term, he stressed the importance of imparting education suiting labor market needs, creation of job opportunities, coordination between ministries, and upgrading of technical and other skills among the youth.