Saudi Arabia to ease restrictions on foreign workers

The labor overhaul will allow foreign workers to leave the country without their employers' approval.
Construction workers stand on scaffolding in Al-Balad, a historical area in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah, on January 11, 2020. (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)
Construction workers stand on scaffolding in Al-Balad, a historical area in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah, on Jan. 11, 2020. - GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

Saudi Arabia is loosening a number of restrictions that kept expats working in the kingdom legally bound to their employers. 

The Ministry of Human Resources says the labor reforms unveiled Wednesday will allow foreign workers in the private sector to switch jobs without the permission of their current employers. Under the new rules, expats also won’t need their employer’s consent to travel abroad. 

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