In June, 16,500 Saudi citizens joined the local labor market for the first time, according to the labor market bulletin for the first quarter of 2024, released by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).

The total number of Saudi citizens working in the private sector in June surpassed 2.3 million, including 1.4 million men and 957,000 women. Additionally, around 9 million expatriates were employed in the private sector, comprising 8.7 million men and 376,000 women.

The National Labor Observatory (NLO) published detailed statistics on Wednesday, showing private sector worker numbers in the Saudi labor market for June. The GASTAT report highlighted a continued decline in the unemployment rate for all Saudis, dropping to 7.6 percent in the first quarter of 2024 from 7.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023, approaching the Vision 2030 target of 7 percent.

By the end of May, the total number of private sector workers was approximately 11.3 million. Saudi citizens accounted for 2.3 million of these workers, with 1.3 million men and over 971,000 women. Meanwhile, expatriate workers numbered around 9 million, including 8.6 million men and 371,000 women. The report also noted a net growth in citizen employment, with 30,800 Saudis joining the private sector for the first time in May.