Saudi: Private sector to blame ‘for rise in unemployment’

June 9, 2015

Jeddah, Jun 9: Despite increased spending on education and training, the private sector was unable to provide sufficient jobs to absorb skilled national employees with high levels of education.

An official report from the Ministry of Planning and Economy cited two main reasons for the private sector’s failure in solving the unemployment problem. First are the limited opportunities for females in the sector; second, the majority of jobs provided by the private sector are non-skilled and do not require high levels of education, thus making the replacement of expatriate workers with citizens limited.

The ministry’s report indicated that Saudization increased in 2014 in the water, manufacturing, financial activities, telecommunications, and the wholesale and retail sectors, but rates declined in the electricity, mining, real estate, agriculture, health, transport, and hotel and restaurants sectors.

Out of a population of about 30.7 million people, including 20.7 million Saudi nationals and more than 10 million non-Saudis, an estimated 13.5 million Saudis are of official working age. More than 237,000 men and women entered the work force in 2014, while about 99,000 exited the same year, according to the report.

This growth in the proportion of workers entering the labor market poses demographic pressures, as it is not commensurate with the number of jobs available in the economy, the report revealed.

Furthermore, the rate of growth has accelerated in private sector employment in 2014, as its growth rate amounted to 14.18 percent as compared to13.5 percent the previous year. Government sector employment has grown at a rate of 3.28 percent in 2014, as compared with 6.4 percent in 2013.

However, employment growth in the private sector did not lead to a reduction in the unemployment rate among Saudis, as unemployment in 2014 remained at 11.7 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of Saudis unwilling to work in 2014 increased by 297 percent due mainly to the reluctance of young Saudis to take on unskilled jobs that are offered by companies in the private sector, which are not commensurate with their qualifications and are not suitable for those with a university education.

The report also revealed that 88 percent of new entrants in the private sector labor market in 2014 are male, while only 12 percent were female. The unemployment rate is higher among females, at 32.8 percent, while unemployment for males registered 5.9 percent in 2014.

The issue of unemployment in the Saudi economy is a sensitive and controversial matter of public opinion. The government has prioritized the issue and has launched multiple strategies to reform the labor market and increase the employment of Saudis in the private sector, as well as increase productivity.

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Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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