JEDDAH, 12 January 2003 — The unemployment rate in the Kingdom is presently estimated to be nine percent of the total workforce, according to Ali Al-Namlah, minister of labor and social affairs. However, the ministry is working toward coming up with a more accurate unemployment rate by carrying out a mass survey over the next two years, according to Okaz newspaper.
The minister also said that Saudis between the ages of 16 and 25 make up 62 percent of the total population.
In separate comments, Al-Namlah expressed his concern about the rise in the number of professional beggars in the Kingdom.
He gave as an example a recent newspaper advert placed by a man who said he needed help from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs because he had six children whom he could not support. In fact, an investigation revealed that the man earned a monthly salary of SR13,000, the minister said.
