Understanding Saudi Private Sector Employment and Unemployment

Abstract

This paper analyzes the changes in Saudi employment and unemployment between 2009 and 2018 and argues that a supply-demand skill mismatch exacerbated by insufficient job creation, and prevalent Saudi preferences and beliefs about employment underpin the high unemployment problem that coexists with low Saudi employment in the private sector in the country.

CID Research Fellow & Graduate Student Working Paper

131

Keywords

Saudi Arabia, Employment, Unemployment, Occupations, Jobs

JEL Classifications

J21, J23, J24