Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics (GaStat) said the number of expats in the labour market declined by 19,000 on a net basis in Q2 as lockdowns forced many out of work, local media reported.
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At the same time, GaStat data showed that the number of new private sector expat work visas issued in Q2 totalled 32,000 significantly lower than the 342,000 issued during Q1.
The data also shows that 97 per cent of issued visas were unused, whilst the remaining 3 per cent were cancelled. This comes as no surprise considering that pandemic induced travel restrictions were also imposed during the quarter,” Jadwa Investment, a Saudi closed joint stock company operating under the supervision of the Saudi Arabian Capital Markets Authority, said.