Saudi Arabia: 129,000 expats left labour market in 2020

Dubai: More than 129,000 expats left the Saudi labour market in 2020 while a total of 74,000 Saudis joined the market in the same period, local media reported.

According government reports, Saudi Arabia has witnessed a decrease of two percent in the number of foreign workers, reaching 6.35 million by the end of last year.

Meanwhile, the number of Saudis registered with the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) recorded an increase of four percent, reaching 2.03 million during the year.

The reports showed that Q4 of 2020 witnessed the highest number of expats leaving the Kingdom’s market. During the period, 18,000 Saudis have also left their jobs.

Private sector

According to Okaz daily, the number of Saudi men and women working in the government sector stood at 281,000 while the citizens working in the private sector account for around 1.75 million.There are 74,000 expatriates working in the government sector.

Most of the Saudis who registered with GOSI are in the age group of 20-24, followed by 15-19 group and 25-29 group in the third place.

Most of the new jobs picked by Saudis are in the fields of basic engineering, clerical jobs, specialists in the scientific, technical and humanitarian fields, as well as in sales.