Cairo: Saudi labour authorities have said a decision to localise jobs of sales, purchases and project management went into effect Sunday (today) as the country seeks to provide more jobs for its citizens.
The kingdom’s Ministry of Human Resources said the sales professions are initially Saudised by 15 per cent covering jobs of sales manager, retail sales manager, sales specialist, wholesale manager, information technology and telecom equipment specialist, and sales agent.
Moreover, purchases professions are Saudised by 50 per cent, including jobs of purchases manager, purchases agent, contract manager, tender specialist, and purchases specialist. Meanwhile, the project management jobs are Saudised by 35 per cent in the first phase.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has launched a series of initiatives to employ its nationals and replace foreign workers in several fields including education, telecommunications and real estate as part of a labour policy known as “Saudisation”.
In September, the kingdom unveiled a plan to localise the dental profession, initially setting it at 35 per cent as of next March.
The Ministry of Health said it will follow up the implementation of the decision geared towards increasing Saudis’ engagement in the labour market. Compliant private sector institutions stand to benefit from incentives and support programmes offered by the Ministry of Human Resources to help them employ Saudis.
These incentives include support to the process of looking for qualified employees, training and employment continuity as well as having access to Saudi employment support programmes.
In mid-2022, ministerial decrees were issued restricting jobs in certain sectors to Saudis only. They covered, optics jobs, customer services, licensed aviation professions including co-pilots and air controllers, sales outlets and periodic checks of cars.
In December 2022, another decree localising employment for postal services and parcel transport across the country went into effect. Saudi Arabia is also implementing a regional employment programme for its nationals.
