Saudi Arabia has recorded the national unemployment rate at 11.7 per cent for 2013, with 6.1 and 33.2 per cent for males and females respectively, a report said.

Licenses were issued to 338 recruitment offices to hire Saudi nationals, added the report in Arab News, which quoted a release by the Ministry of Labour.

The ministry had established 130 new offices over the past five years and 41 new offices in 2013, the report said.

Some offices highlighted lack of cooperation from the private sector in not being able to find employment for the kingdom’s citizens.

The government plans to provide more licences to recruitment offices to meet the private sector’s needs for employment of Saudis, the report said.

The ministry has called on the recruitment offices to submit a quarterly report accounting for the number of Saudis who found employment, the reasons behind inability to find jobs as well as the activities of the office during the past year.