Saudi minimum salary rule only for public sector

Manama: A Saudi royal order for a 3,000 riyal minimum salary is only for the state sector employees, the labour ministry has said.

“The order is not extended to the private sector,” the ministry said in a statement published in the local Arabic daily Al Eqtisadiya.

The ministry said that it had conducted several studies on the possible legal and economic effects of the decision to have a minimum salary.

“We appreciate that introducing a minimum salary in the private sector requires a conscious study, particularly at the present status of the labour market,” the ministry said. “It also requires an in-depth study of the national interests, economic effects, humanitarian requirements and related international laws. It also needs a high level of social consensus to ensure that it is accepted and that its application is supported,” the ministry said.