Saudi Arabia: KSA Ministry releases Various Saudisation Decisions

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) has issued several decisions relating to Saudisation, including the following requirements:

• Marketing: companies with a minimum of 5 employees are required to meet a minimum rate of 30% Saudisation requirements within their marketing roles and pay a monthly minimum salary of SAR5,000, effective 8 May 2022.
• Dentistry: companies with a minimum of 3 employees are required to employ Saudi nationals and pay a monthly minimum salary of SAR7,000. This requirement will be effective on 11 April 2022.
• Pharmaceuticals: companies with a minimum of 5 employees are required to employ Saudi nationals and pay a monthly minimum salary of SAR7,000 for specialists and SAR 5,000 for technicians. This requirement will be effective on 11 April 2022.
• Healthcare: all companies are required to meet a Saudisation quota of 60% and pay a monthly minimum salary of SAR7,000 for specialists and SAR 5,000 for technicians. This requirement will be effective on 11 April 2022.
• Medical Appliances and Equipment: applicable to all companies with employees working in professions related to sales, promotion, and introduction of medical appliances, engineering and technical professions. Saudi nationals in such roles are required to be paid a monthly minimum salary of SAR7,000 for specialists and SAR 5,000 for technicians and other diploma holders.  The first phase is to implement a quota of 30-40% and the second phase will see quotas increase to 50-80%. This requirement will be effective on 11 April 2022.

Key Action Points for Human Resources and In-house Counsel 

Employers within the above sectors will need to review their current Saudisation quotas to ensure compliance.