According to a clause in the National Policy to Prevent Child Labor in the Kingdom approved by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, the minimum age for jobs in Saudi Arabia is 15 years.

The policy's acceptance is in line with the Kingdom's international commitments under the International Labor Organization Conventions Nos. 138 and 182, which seek to provide a secure atmosphere for all children. The National Action Plan to Prevent Child Labor in the Kingdom was also approved by the Cabinet.

Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed Al-Rajhi, now the chairman of the Family Affairs Council, praised the Cabinet's decision to adopt the National Policy for Preventing Child Labor, saying that it intends to create a safe space that supports adolescence and a society where children have access to all of their rights guaranteed by the Islamic Shariah and the law.

Children at the young age of 15 years are not allowed to work under the scheme. For those between the ages of 13 and 15, there is conditional permission to do some light work for a limited time. With the help of the ILO, the policy calls for the development of a database to monitor child labor and the adoption of a list of jobs that are forbidden for those under the age of 18.

The policy also aims to strengthen community work and social protection systems, develop the capabilities of professionals, encourage higher education for all children, and raise knowledge about child labor.

The minister pointed out that the Kingdom's resolution, which was connected to the approval document of the International Labor Organization Convention No. 138, specifies that the minimum age for jobs in the Kingdom's Labor Law — or on licensed mode of transport on its territory is 15.

According to Al-Rajhi, this age is beneficial to the family and society because it prohibits children from working, which is in line with the Kingdom's international obligations since it signed the ILO Convention No. 182 on the worst forms of child labor in 2001 and the ILO Convention No. 138 on the minimum age for employment in 2014, both of which were issued in 1999.

The Kingdom also ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and two alternative guidelines relating to child security in armed conflicts and other circumstances, and the creation of an institutional structure for child labor and protection. It also supported the formation of the Family Affairs Council, which includes a specialist panel dealing with childhood issues in the Kingdom, to promote and strengthen the family's status and position in society, and the administrator's ability to remain robust and unified while caring for its citizens.