Saudi Arabia: Saudization Requirements Announced for Certain Administrative Support Roles

As part of continuing Saudization efforts, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has announced that 100% Saudization requirements now apply, or will shortly apply, to 69 private-sector administrative support roles. These roles have not previously been subject to any Saudization requirements.  

For 19 roles – including human resources clerk, data entry operator, secretary, executive secretary, labor affairs manager, and personnel manager – the 100% Saudization requirement is now in effect.  

For the other 50 professions, the 100% Saudization requirement will take effect on October 5, 2026. This includes roles such as inventory movement clerk, shipping clerk, receptionist, information clerk, government relations clerk, public relations specialist, human resources expert, human resources consultant, recruitment specialist, human resources monitoring specialist, and workforce planning specialist. Currently, no Saudization requirements apply to these roles. 

Affected employers should review their workforce composition to ensure alignment with the newly introduced Saudization requirements, in particular ensuring no foreign nationals are employed in the relevant roles by the relevant deadlines. This may involve reassessing staffing structures and strengthening the recruitment and retention of Saudi nationals to meet compliance obligations. 

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.