Riyadh EconomySaudi Arabia Arabic Al-Riyāḍ

As the country’s capital, Riyadh hosts numerous government ministries and public services headquarters, making the public sector the city’s largest employer. The government employs more than one-third of the city’s workforce and is the source of approximately half of Riyadh’s total production of goods and services. Saudis account for more than nine-tenths of total government employees—a stark contrast to some of the other employment sectors, which are dominated by foreign workers. In the private sector, more than two-fifths of the workforce is employed in services, about one-fourth in construction, more than one-fifth in trade, and about one-tenth in industry.

Riyadh is an important financial, business, and manufacturing centre. A number of banks are headquartered in the city, including Saudi Arabia’s central bank and several national banks; numerous private companies are also located there, and every publicly quoted company is compelled by law to have an office in the city. About one-third of the country’s factories are located in Riyadh, producing machinery, equipment, metallurgical goods, chemicals, construction materials, food, textiles, furniture, and publications.