In the coming weeks, foreign applicants may find it harder to land jobs in Saudi Arabia, now that “Saudization” is well underway. The Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MLSD) will soon be restricting jobs to Saudis in certain sectors, as reported by the Saudi Gazette.
Starting 11th September, 70 percent of sales jobs in 12 economic areas will be limited to Saudi nationals only. Consequently, the MLSD will deploy 200 inspectors across the Kingdom to ensure that the guidelines are followed while targeting Saudization.
Retail Jobs to be Restricted to Saudi Nationals
Earlier this year, the ministry announced that Saudi nationals will be preferred over expats when hiring workers for certain sectors. Specifically, these economic areas will include:
- Automobile and motorbike showrooms
- Building material shops
- Carpet stores
- Car spare parts stores
- Children and men’s wear shops
- Electrical appliances and electronics shops
- Home and office furniture shops
- Household utensil shops
- Medical equipment stores
- Optical stores
- Pastry shops
- Ready-made garments stores
- Watch shops
#Saudization in 12 #retail sectors; inspections begin in 12 days — https://t.co/PCxZ0TGD1f #SaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/jeE0JINnGt
— Saudi Gazette (@Saudi_Gazette) August 29, 2018
Meanwhile, inspection teams shall be tasked with ensuring the 70 percent Saudization of the said economic areas. Both male and female inspectors have been trained regarding the detection and documentation of labor violations.
While the Saudization of certain jobs in the Kingdom appears inevitable, foreign applicants should not lose hope. After all, there’s still the remaining 30 percent that can be filled by non-Saudi workers! In the meantime, check out these job openings with Apple in Saudi Arabia… one of these could be the big break that you’ve been waiting for!