Humayyid, Deputy Minister of Labor, has said that unemployment in Saudi Arabia stands at 28.4 percent for women against 6.9 percent for males. Speaking at the opening of the Saudi Job Opportunities Expo here Sunday, Al-Humayyid said the figures came from the Department of General Statistics, and described the search for work as “not just a personal quest for a dignified life… but a national interest”. “Finding work for male and female Saudis has a positive effect on the national economy,” he said. “Their income goes back into the domestic economy, and that provides more investment and jobs and income, and in turn advances the economy towards prosperity and competition.” He said that it also had social benefits which “should not be ignored”. “Links have been shown between unemployment and some unwanted social effects,” Al-Humayyid said. “That is why the leadership is concerned to provide job opportunities for Saudis, and has made it one of its priorities as per the recent Royal Decrees.
