45 percent of Saudi employees work over 40 hours per week

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Nearly 45.8 percent of employees in Saudi Arabia work more than 40 hours per week and 39.6 percent of employees work an average of 40 hours per week, according to the Health and Safety at Work Statistics for 2023 issued by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).
Figures also show that 46.6 percent of employees have received training on health and safety procedures, and 48.7 percent have health and safety departments in their workplace.
The most common risks faced by employees, according to the data, were as follows: standing for a long time, at least four hours per day, 28.21 percent, sitting on an office chair for more than three consecutive hours, 28.15 percent, and repetitive movement of the upper limbs for a long time 17.1 percent.
Data also shows that 7.8 percent of employees deal directly or indirectly with chemicals, medical waste, radioactive materials or toxic gases, and 6.3 percent face risks such as electrical hazard, handling of machinery, or drowning.
According to data, 89.7 percent of employees have basic healthcare coverage. The most prevalent work-related health issue in the past 12 months was work-related stress, which stood at 3.2 percent; 83.5 percent of employees do not have any work-related health issues.