There are more than 1.2 million civil service employees, of whom 62 percent are men, said a monthly statistical bulletin released by the Ministry of Civil Service.

There are also more than 73,000 non-Saudis employed in government offices, mostly in the health and education sector, especially in higher education, the report said. Around 2,000 people were recruited in a five-month period, while more than double that number of people left during the same period.