Saudi Arabia to ease restrictions on foreign workers
The labor overhaul will allow foreign workers to leave the country without their employers' approval.
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.
Saudi Arabia’s total workforce of 13.6 million includes 10.4 million expats, according to the General Authority for Statistics. Saudi employers will now be required to keep digital records of their foreign workers’ contracts.
The official Saudi Press Agency reports the initiative, which takes effect in March, “aims to support the Ministry's vision of establishing an attractive job market, empowering and developing labor competencies and developing the work environment in the Kingdom.”
