RIYADH, 5 March 2003 — The unemployment rate in the Kingdom has reached 31.7 percent, according to statistics published by the Saudi Monetary Agency (SAMA) quoted in Al-Watan newspaper yesterday.
A study entitled “Unemployment: Causes and Remedies” conducted under the supervision of a government agency collected information from the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the Passport Department, the National Information Center and King Fahd National Library.
The study’s recommendations include a review of the sponsorship system and more Saudization. It also recommends increasing job opportunities for women and enhancing their role in society in a way that is compatible with Shariah.
A study issued five years ago by the manpower council in cooperation with a research center for the fight against crime showed that crime among unemployed Saudis rose by nearly 320 percent between 1990 and 1996, an annual growth rate of over 15 percent. This is expected to increase by another 136 percent by 2005.
The majority of perpetrators had been unemployed for one or two years, according to the study, and 84 percent of them blamed unemployment for their behavior. Theft ranked first among the crimes committed by the unemployed.
