Saudi unemployment rate hits 12.9 pct in Q1, 2018

RIYADH, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday that Saudi unemployment rate in the first quarter of this year reached 12.9 percent, said the labor market bulletin of the General Authority of Statistics.

The Saudi females' unemployment rate decreased during the first quarter this year, registering 30.9 percent compared with 31.10 percent in the last quarter of 2017.

In contrast, Saudi males' unemployment rate saw an increase to 7.6 percent from 7.5 percent in the previous quarter.

The report also highlighted an increase in the economic participation of Saudi women by 19.5 percent compared with the previous quarter.

The bulletin is part of measures to reform the labor market to make it less dependent on oil revenues.