The Saudi Arabian government has announced significant changes in the marketing and sales sectors to increase the dominance of its own citizens in the labor market.
On Monday (January 19), the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development issued a directive stating that, effective immediately, at least 60 percent of employees in companies within these two sectors must be Saudi citizens. This stringent decision, taken as part of the long-standing ‘Vision 2030’ plan to ensure employment for locals instead of expatriates, is major bad news for hundreds of thousands of expatriate workers. (Source: Saudi Gazette)
Under this new regulation, establishments employing at least three workers must fill more than half of their total workforce with local citizens. Key positions such as Marketing Manager, Advertising Specialist, Graphic Designer, and Public Relations will directly fall under the Saudization process. Furthermore, opportunities for expatriates in the sales sector are being curtailed, ranging from Sales Managers to IT and Communications Equipment Sales Specialists. This government announcement will come into effect nationwide three months from now.
The Ministry further clarified that Saudi employees appointed to these positions must receive a minimum monthly salary of 5,500 riyals. The primary objective of this measure is to make the private sector labor market more attractive to locals and to ensure job stability for eligible citizens.
As a result of this decision, a large number of expatriate workers currently employed in marketing and sales professions are at risk of losing their jobs. The impact will be particularly significant on workers from South Asian countries. International labor analysts predict that as the Saudization process intensifies, expatriates may have to leave many other sectors in the future.
