Sunday 04/January/2026 – 01:05 PM
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced the issuance of two decisions to raise nationalization rates in a number of specific professions, including engineering and procurement.
According to the Saudi Ministry’s statement, the first decision stipulates raising the percentage of nationalization in engineering professions to 30% while raising the minimum wage to 8,000 riyals in the private and non-profit sectors, in partnership with the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, starting from 12/31/2025, for establishments that employ 5 or more workers from the engineering professions, according to the approved definitions and professional titles. The decision includes 46 engineering professions, the most prominent of which are: engineer Architect, power generation engineer, industrial engineer, electronics engineer, vehicle engineer, marine engineer, health engineer, and others, in addition to professional accreditation from the Saudi Council of Engineers, provided that implementation of the decision begins 6 months after the date of issuance; To ensure the readiness of target facilities and achieve compliance.
The second decision stipulated raising the rate of Saudization to 70% in procurement professions in the private sector, starting from 11/30/2025, for establishments that employ 3 or more workers from the professions included in accordance with the definitions and professional titles approved in the Unified Saudi Classification of Occupations, and they include 12 professions, the most prominent of which are: purchasing manager, purchasing representative, contracts manager, warehouse keeper, logistics services manager, warehouse manager, tender specialist, specialist. Procurement, e-commerce specialist, market research specialist, warehouse specialist, and private label supply specialist, provided that the decision enters into force 6 months after the date of issuance; This is to enable the targeted establishments to complete the application requirements and achieve the target percentage.
Intensive studies of labor market needs
The Ministry confirmed that the two decisions come based on extensive studies of the needs of the labor market, and are consistent with the numbers of job seekers in the relevant specializations, and with the future requirements of the procurement sector and the engineering sector, noting that implementing the two decisions would raise the quality of the work environment, increase qualitative career opportunities for Saudi men and women, and enhance their participation in vital sectors, including the non-profit sector.
