Over 571,000 expats quit Saudi job market in a year

RIYADH – A total of 571,333 expatriates have left the Kingdom’s employment market from both the private and government sectors during a period of one year ending the second quarter of 2021. This represents a decrease of 8.52 percent, according to the latest data released by the General Authority for Statistics and the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI).

The number of expatriates in the local labor market fell to 6,135,126 by the end of June this year from 6,706,459 at the end of June 2020.

The statistical figures also showed a decrease of 5.46 percent in the number of Saudi and non-Saudi subscribers to GOSI working in the public and private sectors, accounting for 474,382 subscribers, during the period.

The total number of GOSI subscribers reached 8,199,723 at the end of the second quarter of this year, against 8,674,105 subscribers at the end of the second quarter of 2020.

The figures also showed that there has been an increase in the number of Saudi subscribers of GOSI. A total of 123,951 Saudis entered the labor market during the second quarter of this year and this translates to an annual increase of 6.4 percent.

The number of Saudis working in the government and private sectors and who are subscribers to GOSI reached 2,064,597 by the end of June this year, compared to 1,940,646 at the end of the second quarter of last year.

During 2021, the number of non-Saudi subscribers of GOSI fell by 3.12 percent, or 197,745, in the second quarter compared to the first quarter of the year.

The number of Saudi subscribers also witnessed a drop of 2.94 percent, or 62,583, during the same period.