Eng. Ahmed Al-Rajhi, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, revealed that the total number of Saudi men and women employed in the first five months of 2021 surpassed 420,000.

He indicated that the number of recruits to the labor market who had not worked previously exceeded more than 200,000 male and female residents while adding that the percentage of women's labor market participation reached 35% whereas the objective for 2025 was 30%.

According to Al-Rajhi, the ministry aims to fulfill Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman's ambitions and directions by making the Saudi labor market one of the greatest in the world. The minister stated that the ministry's objective for the current year is to create more than 203,000 employment opportunities.

“Over 13,000 engineers have prospered from the initiative to localize engineering professions, with Saudi engineers accounting for more than 84% of those joining the job market. “The choice to localize the pharmacy professions has helped over 4,281 male and female pharmacists, and the decision to nationalize the accounting professions has profited greatly over 15,000 male and female accountants,” he added.

The minister stated that the Kingdom has been victorious in combating the coronavirus pandemic and preserving jobs since the number of Saudi men and women joining the labor market is larger than it was before the pandemic.

“Because of our proximity to the labor market, we have witnessed numerous success stories of our sons and daughters in the private sector and their significant contribution to the updating of its operations and sectors. Because of this, we think that we have national human cadres with the capacity and desire.

“There is also no denying the fact that their economic contribution is a national wealth which should be stimulated,” he said, adding that “we would then work on enabling the supervisory government agencies to manage Saudization for the activities and sectors they supervise to build up the Saudization programs to increase the level of contribution of Saudi men and women in all professions, operations, and sectors.”

Implementation phases of Saudization in 6 sectors

Al-Rajhi has revealed specifics on Saudization execution in 6 main industries. The Saudization of these sectors was intended to generate over 40,000 employments. In the legal consulting industry, the decision would be enacted in two parts, with the first phase accounting for 50% of the total and the second phase accounting for 70%.

It is aimed at the following professions: legal advisors in both the public and commercial sectors; contract specialists; and legal affairs clerks. This industry is anticipated to generate over 5,000 employment opportunities with an average salary of SR5,500.

This will be 7% for the localization of real estate operations and professions. Saudization will be complete in real estate brokerage, the real estate market, the owners' union, sustainable construction, and real estate control, to create more than 11,000 employments.

Saudization would be 100% in driving schools, which comprise the following activities: vehicle driving trainer; educational help expert; vehicle traffic controller; and industrial professional trainer. It will create over 8,000 new job prospects, with a starting wage of SR5,000 for a driving teacher.

The cinema industry would be fully Saudized, with an emphasis on supervisory professions, retail sales, ticket sales, drinks, and cuisine. This industry is anticipated to provide over 3,000 new employment opportunities.

The Saudization rate for customs clearing activities would be 70%. There'll be full Saudization in the following designations: general manager, government relations official, translator, customs broker, customs agent, and customs clearing broker. This will create around 2,000 employment with a minimum salary of SR5,000.

In the case of technical and engineering professions, the Saudi Council of Engineers would localize 25% of all private sector enterprises that employ five or more people in the designated professions, assuming that technicians receive a professional certification. This would create 12,000 jobs with a beginning salary of SR5,000.

Meanwhile, the ministry's spokesperson, Saad Al Hammad, stated that the initiative to Saudize engineering professions aimed to create 7,000 job prospects.  However, 13,463 individuals were employed, resulting in a 192% success rate for the ministry in meeting the Saudization program's aims.

As per Al-Hammad, the Saudization of Accounting Professions surpassed the objective by 161%, with the recruitment of 15,035 individuals compared to the planned work possibilities of 9,500.

The Saudization of the tourist accommodation sector attained 129% of the localization rates, resulting in the emergence of 9,323 employments for citizens, compared to the objective of 7,200. Al Hammad stated that the target of 100% localization of 21 sales operations was met, leading to the creation of 30,000 jobs.

It is important to note that, since the initial stages of this year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) has issued several decisions regarding the Saudization of additional sectors including the Saudization of malls, restaurants and cafes, central catering markets, and academic professions in the private sector.

The ministry issued Saudization decisions to assist businesses and job applicants following the appropriate procedures and time frames, and also to prioritize certain professions in key areas like dentistry, pharmacy, engineering, and accountancy.

It comprises focused particular tasks, leadership and supervisory positions, long-term employment with room for growth and development, and jobs requiring advanced technical capabilities.