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.
Inflation Update- (May 2015):Inflation remains subdued ahead of Ramadan
Inflation reportThe Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI) has released Consumer Price Index data for May, showing a small acceleration in prices to 2.1 percent year-on-year, compared to 2.0 percent in April. In month-on-month terms, prices slowed to 0.1 percent in May compared to 0.3 percent in April. Foodstuffs rose year-on-year but recorded a slowdown in monthly terms as well. Housing inflation continued to be the major contributor to overall inflation. Our estimate of core inflation remained unchanged.
Saudi Labor Market Outlook
The Saudi labor market has undergone significant and dynamic change over the course of the last decade. The labor market is notably segmented and unique challenges are being encountered with the employment of Saudi nationals into the private sector. This report analyses the transformation that has taken place and looks ahead to the potential significant challenges still facing the labor market within the Kingdom. In this report, we analyze the interesting trends from the period 2005-15 and present three different scenarios as part of our forecast for the period 2015-25.
Inflation Update (January 2016): New energy prices push inflation to a 5-year high
The General Authority for Statistics (GAS) has released Consumer Price Index data for January, showing a sharp rise in prices by 4.3 percent year-on-year, accelerating from 2.3 percent during the previous month. The recent reform to energy prices meant that housing and utilities and transport were the main sources of inflation as they accelerated sharply in January, both in year-on-year and monthly terms. Our estimate of core inflation, which excludes food and rent and other housing services, but includes transport, rose to its highest level in three years.