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Understanding Saudi Private Sector Employment And Unemployment

Author

Listed:
  • Farah Hani

    (Center for International Development at Harvard University)

  • Michael Lopesciolo

    (Center for International Development at Harvard University)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the changes in Saudi employment and unemployment between 2009 and 2018 and argues that a supply-demand skill mismatch exacerbated by insufficient job creation, and prevalent Saudi preferences and beliefs about employment underpin the high unemployment problem that coexists with low Saudi employment in the private sector in the country.

Suggested Citation

  • Farah Hani & Michael Lopesciolo, 2021. "Understanding Saudi Private Sector Employment And Unemployment," CID Working Papers 131a, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    • Handle: RePEc:cid:wpfacu:131a
    as

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    File URL: https://growthlab.cid.harvard.edu/files/growthlab/files/2021-03-cid-fellows-wp-131-saudi-employment.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dany Bahar & Hillel Rapoport, 2018. "Migration, Knowledge Diffusion and the Comparative Advantage of Nations," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(612), pages 273-305, July.
    2. Hertog, Steffen, 2014. "Arab Gulf states: an assessment of nationalisation policies," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 57578, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Doruk Cengiz & Arindrajit Dube & Attila Lindner & Ben Zipperer, 2018. "The effect of minimum wages on low-wage jobs: evidence from the United States using a bunching estimator," CEP Discussion Papers dp1531, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    4. David Neumark & Harry Holzer, 2000. "Assessing Affirmative Action," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 38(3), pages 483-568, September.
    5. Doruk Cengiz & Arindrajit Dube & Attila Lindner & Ben Zipperer, 2019. "The Effect of Minimum Wages on Low-Wage Jobs," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 134(3), pages 1405-1454.
    6. Van De Klundert, Th., 1990. "On socioeconomic causes of 'wait unemployment'," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 1011-1022, July.
    7. Leonardo Bursztyn & Alessandra L. González & David Yanagizawa-Drott, 2018. "Misperceived Social Norms: Female Labor Force Participation in Saudi Arabia," NBER Working Papers 24736, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Abu Elnasr E. Sobaih, 2023. "Challenges in Effective Implementation of Saudization Policy in the Restaurant Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-17, May.
    2. Durand-Lasserve, Olivier, 2022. "Nationalization of the private sector labor force, quotas, matching and public jobs, an illustration with Saudi Arabia," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 98-117.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Saudi Arabia; Employment; Unemployment; Occupations; Jobs;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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