Graduates organize sit-in demanding jobs
Dozens of male and female graduates participated in a protest in front of the headquarters of the Saudi Ministry of Health, demanding jobs.
The participants sat down on the ground in front of the Ministry of Health headquarters, holding their university degrees certificates, while no government official appeared to address them.
The protesters complained about poverty, unemployment, and the conditions of university graduates in the rich country and criticized the government for providing jobs to foreigners, while the only solution they offered for Saudis is working as vendors.
Saudi youth attributed the increase of poverty and unemployment rates to the mismanagement of their country’s resources, and the weakness of their leadership in taking control.
Saudi official data showed that the unemployment rate among Saudis remained at a record high of 12.9% in the second quarter of this year, the highest rate in 19 years.
The General Authority for Statistics released data indicating that the Saudi economic reforms, which were inaugurated three years ago after Mohammed bin Salman became crown prince, have not yet achieved great success in providing job opportunities or developing non-oil industries.
Official Saudi data revealed a record unemployment rate among Saudi male citizens during the first quarter of 2020 and the presence of more than a million unemployed Saudis, which reflects the failure of the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s promises to reduce the aggravation of unemployment.
The Saudi General Authority for Statistics data showed that the unemployment rate among Saudi citizens reached 11.8 percent in the first quarter of 2020 from 12 percent in the previous quarter, while the rate decreased from 12.5 percent in the first quarter of 2019.
The data showed that the unemployment rate for Saudi males reached 5.6 per cent, an increase of 0.7 percentage points, while the unemployment rate for Saudi women reached 28.2 per cent, a decrease of 2.6 percentage points.
It is noteworthy that foreign workers constitute 76 per cent of the Saudi labor market, and the number of foreign workers in the Kingdom reached 10.22 million at the end of 2019.
The number of Saudis and non-Saudis working in the labor market is 13,635,612 people, including 3,203,423 Saudis, males of whom are 2,660 553, and females are 1,136,870.
According to official data, 1,150,820 Saudis are unemployed, including 186,969 males and 828,851 females.
