35,500 expats in KSA jobless

JEDDAH: There were 35,500 foreign nationals without work in the Kingdom at the end of June 2015, making up 5.2 percent of all unemployed individuals in the Kingdom. There were a total of 682,300 Saudis and expatriates without jobs at the end of the same period. The number of unemployed expats increased by 0.6 percent at the end of June, compared to 0.3 percent at the same time in 2014, according to a report in a local publication. According to reports, 61 percent of unemployed expats are men and 39 percent women. A total of 6.3 million expatriates work in the Kingdom, accounting for 56 percent of the work force of 11.2 million people, with Saudis making up 4.9 million. Overall, unemployment among Saudis dropped to 11.6 percent at the end of June 2015, compared to 11.7 percent at end-June 2014. “Unemployment” statistics include someone who wants to work, is seeking a job, is capable of working, but unable to find employment. The “work force” represents the group of people who are either working or actively searching for a paid job, and are between 15 and retirement age. As such, individuals not considered part of the unemployment statistics are those capable of working but not actively seeking a job or do not wish to work, like students, housewives and wealthy individuals. The employment figures for sectors include 21.1 percent (1.33 million) working in construction, while 18.5 percent (1.16 million) are employed in wholesale, retail, motor vehicle and motorcycle repair activities. The least number of expats, about 0.1 percent, work with foreign bodies and organizations. Most expatriate females, about 83.8 percent, work in households, or in the production of nonspecialized goods and services, followed by the health and social services sectors at 6.9 percent. The highest percentage of expatriate workers, about 32.7 percent, occupy basic and assistant engineering positions, while the lowest percentage, about 2.3 percent, have writing jobs. A total of 36.6 percent of males work in basic engineering positions, while 85.3 percent of female expats are in service positions. Only about 0.2 percent of female expats occupy management positions. -arabnews