RIYADH (The Thursday Times) — Saudi Arabia will require private companies to fill at least 35% of jobs in 94 technical engineering professions with Saudi nationals from May 9, 2027, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has announced, tightening one of the main routes to the kingdom for foreign engineers and technicians, including Pakistanis.
The rule will apply to private-sector establishments that employ five or more workers in the covered professions, the ministry said. It has published a procedural guide setting out the occupations, how the rate is calculated, and how compliance will be checked.
The decision, announced on November 8 and drawn up with the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, comes with support for employers, including help with recruitment, training, professional qualifications, and keeping staff, according to reports of the announcement. Firms that qualify will get priority access to the ministry’s Saudization programmes.
It is the latest in a run of localisation targets this year. In January the ministry raised the Saudization rate for 46 engineering professions to 30% for companies employing five or more engineers, and required engineers to register with the Saudi Council of Engineers. It has since set quotas for procurement, project management, and administrative jobs as part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan.
The 35% rule does not bar foreign engineers, but companies it covers will need to hire more Saudis or reshape their teams before the deadline.
For Pakistan, the stakes are high. Saudi Arabia is the biggest source of the money Pakistanis abroad send home: workers in the kingdom sent $982 million in October alone, up 17% on a year earlier, out of total remittances of $3.9 billion, central bank figures show.
The kingdom has also been opening new routes for Pakistani travellers, with flynas adding Jeddah flights from Sialkot and Faisalabad later this month.
