RIYADH - Unemployment for Saudi citizens rose slightly to 8.6% in the third quarter, up from 8.3% in the previous quarter, but still lower than the 9.9% recorded in the same period a year ago, data published on Thursday showed.

The overall unemployment rate - which includes foreign nationals - reached 5.1%, up from 4.9% in the second quarter, data from the General Authority for Statistics showed.

Foreign nationals make up just over 40% of the total population according to the latest census, the majority of whom need an employment contract to live in the country.

Unemployment remains relatively high among Saudis aged 15 to 24, at 13.6% for males and 25.3% for females, with total youth unemployment at 17.4%, up from 17% in the previous quarter, the data showed.

Total Saudi unemployment for citizens between the ages of 24 and 54 was 7.9%, a small rise from 7.5% in the previous quarter.

More than 60% of Saudi citizens are under the age of thirty, and job creation has been a key tenet of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's Vision 2030 programme, which seeks to stimulate the economy and diversify it away from oil.

As part of the drive to decrease the historic dependence on expatriate labour, the government has implemented a "Saudization" programme where companies are required to employ certain quotas of Saudi nationals.

The overall labour market participation rate for Saudi citizens decreased slightly to 51.6% from 51.7% in Q2, and fell from 52.5% in Q3 of 2023.

Unemployment for Saudi women increased to 16.3%, up from 15.7% in Q2, though still lower the previous year's 20.5% in Q3.

(Reporting by Pesha Magid; Editing by Andrew Heavens)