The number of Saudis employed in the private sector rose in 2015 by over 10 percent compared to the previous year’s total. The annual statistics of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) show that the number of Saudi workers in the private sector reached approximately 1.74 million male and female workers, almost 200,000 more than the 2014 figure.

The statistics also highlighted that the number of female employees surpassed 499,000, meaning women now account for 29 percent of the total of private sector employees.

The statistics from SAMA, based its data and information on figures from the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, revealed that male and female Saudis working in the private sector represent 16 percent of the total number of Saudi workers – a number exceeding 10.5 million.

It was Riyadh that enjoyed the majority of new recruits to the private sector, with the total of Saudi workers exceeding 671,000, representing 38 percent, while the Eastern Province occupied second place in the recruitment of Saudis in the private sector at 23 percent of the total. Makkah came in third, with 395,000 male and female Saudi workers, representing 22 percent of the Kingdom’s total.