Introduction and Purpose of the Guideline

The Ministerial decision No. 182495 was published on 11/10/1442 AH (23/05/2021 AD) and introduces three main amendments to the Nitaqat Program: 1. Simplifying Nitaqat by consolidating sectors. 2. Publishing a Saudization plan for the next three years to provide regulatory stability. 3. Removing fixed size bands and moving to a smooth relationship between worker count and required Saudization. The amendments to the Nitaqat Program represent one of the essential initiatives of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development’s strategic development and improvement of the labor market to provide appropriate job opportunities to the national labor force in a safe and attractive work environment. This guideline was developed to clarify details related to the amendments to the Nitaqat Program. It is important for businesses operating in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to understand the amendments and adjust their businesses as necessary to ensure they remain in compliance with Nitaqat.