Saudi Arabia

Title of the survey:

Labour force survey.

Organization responsible for the survey:

Planning and conduct of the survey:

Central Department of Statistics, Ministry of Planning

Analysis and publication of the results:

Central Department of Statistics, Ministry of Planning

Topics covered:

Employment, unemployment, hours of work, industry, occupation, status in employment, education level, secondary jobs, and work experience.

Coverage of the survey:

Geographical:

Whole country.

Population groups:

Nomads and persons living in collective quarters are excluded.

Availability of estimates from other sources for the excluded areas/groups:

No information is provided.

Groups covered by the survey but excluded from the published results:

None.

Periodicity:

Conduct of the survey:

Annual.

Publication of results:

Annual.

Reference periods:

Employment:

Fixed reference week.

Seeking work:

Four weeks.

Availability for work:

Reference week.

Concepts and definitions:

Employment:

Persons, 12 years old and over, who worked for pay or profit or without pay or profit on family farm or business during most of the week (Saturday through Friday) preceding enumeration, or who had a job but were sick or on vacation during the reference week. Such persons must be on the payroll and expecting to report back to work after the vacation or sickness.

It includes:

  1. Persons who performed some work for pay or profit during the reference week but were subject to compulsory schooling, retired and receiving a pension, or were registered as jobseekers at an employment office or were seeking other work during the reference week.
  2. Part-time students working full or part-time.
  3. Paid apprentices and trainees.
  4. Unpaid family workers, unpaid apprentices, and persons doing volunteer community or social service work who worked more than 15 hours during the reference week.
  5. Persons engaged in production of goods for own final use.
  6. Volunteer and career members of the armed forces as well as persons engaged in civil service equivalent to military service.
Excluded are:
  1. Full-time students working full or part-time.
  2. Unpaid apprentices and trainees, persons engaged in production of services for their household.
  3. Unpaid family workers temporarily absent from work during the reference week and seasonal workers not at work during the offseason.
  4. Persons on educational or training leave.

Unemployment:

Persons, 12 years old and over, not employed during the reference week, who were actively looking for work during the previous four weeks, and were available for work during the reference week. (Active job search appears to be tested after determining the unemployment status of the persons.)

It includes:

  1. Persons without work and current available and looking for work who had made arrangements to start a new job on a date subsequent to the reference week.
  2. Persons without work and currently available and looking for work who were trying to establish their own enterprise.
  3. Full or part-time students seeking full or part-time work.
  4. Persons who were seeking or available for work but were subject to compulsory schooling or retired and receiving a pension.
Excluded are:
  1. Persons on temporary or indefinite lay-off without pay if they had not been seeking work or available for work.
  2. Persons who were seeking and/or available for work but were subject to compulsory schooling or were retired and receiving a pension.
  3. Full or part-time students seeking full or part-time work.

Underemployment:

Time-related underemployment:

No information.

Inadequate employment situations:

No information.

Hours of work:

No information

Employment-related income:

Income from paid employment:

No information.

Income from self-employment:

No information.

Informal sector:

No information.

Usual activity:

No information.

Classifications:

Branch of economic activity (industry):

Title of the classification:

No information.

Population groups classified by industry:

Employed only.

Number of groups used for coding:

16 categories.

Links to ISIC:

At the fourth level.

Occupation:

Title of the classification:

No information.

Population groups classified by occupation:

Employed only.

Number of groups used for coding:

9 major groups.

Links to ISCO:

At the third level.

Status in employment:

Title of the classification:

Not applicable.

Population groups classified by status in employment:

Not applicable.

Groups used for classification:

Not applicable.

Links to ICSE:

Not applicable.

Education:

Title of the classification:

No information.

Population groups classified by education:

Employed and unemployed persons.

Groups used for classification:

Illiterate. Can read and write. Elementary. Intermediate. Secondary. Pre-University Diploma. BA or BSc MA. And Ph.D.

Links to ISCED:

At the first level.

Sample size and design:

Ultimate sampling unit:

Household.

Sample size (ultimate sampling units):

750 Primary sampling units (PSUs).

Overall sampling fraction:

4%.

Sample frame:

Population Census 1993 excluding nomads and persons living in collective quarters.

Updating of the sample:

Updating of the main sample in 1998.

Rotation:

Scheme:

The main sample is divided into four panels. Each survey sample covers 3 panels.

Percentage of units remaining in the sample for two consecutive survey rounds:

50%.

Maximum number of interviews per sample unit:

5.

Length of time for complete renewal of the sample:

5 years.

Field work:

Type of interview:

Personal interview.

Number of ultimate sampling units per sample area:

20 households per PSU.

Duration of field work:

Total:

20 days for 24 May to 13 June 1999.

Per sample area:

4 days in urban areas; 5 days in rural areas.

Survey organization:

Permanent.

Number of field staff:

About 320 interviewers, 80 crew leaders and 13 supervisors.

Substitution of non-responding ultimate sampling units:

No.

Estimation and adjustments:

Total non-response rate:

9%.

Adjustment for total non-response:

Yes.

Imputation for item non-response:

No.

Adjustment for areas/population not covered:

Yes.

Adjustment for undercoverage:

No information provided.

Adjustment for overcoverage:

No information provided.

Adjustment for seasonal variations:

No.

History of the survey:

Title and date of the first survey:

Labour Force Survey, 1981.

Significant changes or revisions:

The survey programme breaks from 1987 to 1999.

Documentation and dissemination:

Documentation:

Survey results:

Labour Force in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Survey methodology:

Labour Force in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dissemination:

Time needed for initial release of survey results:

May 1987.

Advance information of public about date of initial release:

Yes.

Availability of unpublished data upon request:

Yes

Availability of data in machine-readable form:

Yes.

Website: