Economic updates
Our in-depth, independent reports cover the macroeconomic environment, the Saudi government’s annual budget, and Saudi Arabia’s monetary and financial developments, labor market, and inflation.
Saudi Labor Market Update - Q2 2017
Labor Market reportIn this report, we analyze the latest trends in the labor market in Saudi Arabia during Q2 2017. According to GaStat, Saudi unemployment rose slightly from 12.7 percent in Q1 2017 to 12.8 percent in Q2 2017. In addition, between Q1 and Q2 2017, the Saudization ratio in the local economy increased from 42.5 percent to 43.1 percent, although this was mainly due to more non-Saudis leaving the local labor market rather than higher employment of Saudis.
Inflation update (September 2014): Food and rental inflation accelerate
The Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI) has released Consumer Price Index data for September, showing a rise in prices by 2.8 percent year-on-year, staying at the same level compared to the previous month. Foodstuffs and housing have continued to be the main sources of inflation as they all accelerated in August and September. We expect external factors contribution to inflation to remain subdued, particularly given a strengthening USD and the bleaker prospects of global economic growth. We revise our estimates for average annual inflation to 2.8 percent for 2014, slightly down from 2.9 percent.