Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s women unemployment rate drop in the first quarter of this year to the lowest level since 2001, local media reported.
The unemployment rate among Saudi women aged 15 years and above reached 20.2 per cent at the end of the first quarter of 2022 compared to 22.5 per cent by the end of the fourth quarter of 2021.
Açording to Arabic daily Okaz, this is the lowest unemployment rate for Saudi women in 20 years, since 2001, when it was 17.3 per cent.
On the other hand, the economic participation rate of Saudi women in the labor market decreased to 33.6 per cent by the end of the first quarter of 2022, against 35.6 per cent by the end of the fourth quarter of 2021.
The kingdom has eased many of its restrictions on women, which is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to get more Saudis to work in the private sector. Over the past few years, the authorities have lifted the ban on women driving and allowed them to travel without the permission of a male guardian.
According to data issued by the General Authority for Statistics on Thursday, June 30, Saudi Arabia’s citizen unemployment rate fell in the first quarter of this year to the lowest level since 2008, coinciding with the growth of the Kingdom’s economy, on the impact of the rise in oil prices.
