Riyadh – Arab Today
A Saudi civil servant and his family have been forced to live in a public park, after unemployment and poverty meant he was unable to keep payments towards the rent of their apartment. According to the Al-Madina newspaper, Omar Yousif Ahmed was forced to live on the streets, with his wife and six sons when they evicted from their home. Unemployment rates have risen dramatically in the Saudi Arabia, as the country sees a massive population boom fuelled by a growing number of expatriates immigrating in search of opportunities. Saudi Authority for National Statistics said the current unemployment figure stood at 12.1 percent. It added more than 73 percent of women with degrees were without jobs. Employment Minister, Adel Faqih said the number of people unemployed stood at 500,000, while many citizens refuted this and said the true number was much greater.