Reuters breaks ground with Saudi unemployment package

Reuters made headlines with a package of stories on June 10 on rising Saudi unemployment and population growth, one of the main challenges for the top oil exporter. Economists at local and foreign banks predicted in a poll that the Saudi population will grow by 15.4 percent within five years which puts pressure on the leadership to provide jobs and housing. The story was quoted in several research notes and widely in Gulf media, among them Saudi-owned daily al-Hayat on its frontpage. Other stories explaining the reasons for unemployment in one of the world`s richest countries and featuring jobless young Saudis also got prominent coverage in regional media.