The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has announced a series of decisions aimed at increasing Saudization rates across 269 professions in various sectors. These initiatives have been launched in collaboration with supervisory authorities, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs, and Housing. The targeted professions include dentistry, pharmacy, accounting, and technical engineering roles. These decisions are part of the ministry’s ongoing efforts to create more productive and stimulating job opportunities for Saudi nationals across the Kingdom.
The Saudization rate for pharmacy professions, implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Health, will take effect on July 27, 2025. The decision mandates a 35% Saudization rate for community pharmacies and medical complexes, 65% for hospital pharmacies, and 55% for other pharmacy-related activities. This requirement applies to establishments with five or more pharmacy professionals.
Similarly, the Saudization of dentistry professions will be enforced in two phases. The first phase, effective July 27, 2025, requires a 45% Saudization rate, with the second phase increasing it to 55% after 12 months. This regulation applies to establishments with three or more dentistry professionals. Additionally, the minimum wage for dentistry professionals to be counted toward Saudization quotas has been raised to 9,000 SAR.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce, the Saudization of accounting professions will be implemented progressively over five years, starting October 27, 2025. The first phase will require a 40% Saudization rate in companies employing five or more accounting professionals, gradually increasing to 70% over the period.
Furthermore, in partnership with the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, the Saudization rate for technical engineering professions will be set at 30% of the total workforce in targeted professions. This decision applies to all private sector establishments employing five or more technical engineering professionals and will take effect on July 27, 2025.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has also published procedural guidelines on its official website, outlining the details of these decisions, including the Saudization calculation methods and penalties for non-compliance.