RIYADH — The percentage of Saudization in the private sector establishments increased to 21.54 of the total private sector workforce during the third quarter of 2020 as against 20.40 percent during the same period last year, according to the latest figures of the National Labor Observatory (NLO.sa). The percentage of Saudis maintained a steady increase during the previous years, and that stood at 19.43 percent in 2018, 17.08 percent in 2017 and 16.33 percent in 2016. The Observatory stated that the number of Saudi employees who are subscribers of the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) from the private sector reached 1,759,558 in the third quarter of the current year, an increase of 81,430 subscribers compared to the second quarter of 2020, and these include 66.74 percent men and 33.26 percent women. The Eastern Province ranked first in the Saudization of jobs in the private sector with a rate of 25.16 percent, and it was followed by Riyadh region with 21.89 percent, Makkah region 21.47 percent, Madinah 19.27 percent and Asir 17.85 percent. NLO.sa is an affiliate of the Human Resources Development Fund (HADAF) under the Ministry of Human Resources and National Development. The Observatory was launched in January last year with the objectives of provision of accurate and reliable data to all stakeholders, supplying analysis and insights to business partners, as well as to build a network of experts and professionals to meet the challenges of the labor market.