The expatriate workers employed in the industrial sector are no longer subject to fees in Saudi Arabia.
‘The government will bear the cost of fees for expatriate workers on behalf of licensed industrial institutions as of October 1, 2019, for five years,’ stated recently a cabinet statement.
The fees were previously imposed with the intention of encouraging the hiring of Saudi nationals over the foreign nationals, but was soon discovered that the operating costs increased accordingly.
Through a scheme approved by King Salman last February, some of the struggling companies in relation to the increasing fees for the expats’ work permits were reimbursed. However, the eligible companies under this particular scheme are those that have an equal or higher number of Saudi nationals employed.
The industrial sector is considered critical to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s intention to diversify the economy of Saudi Arabia and create millions of other jobs for young population of Saudi nationals.The expatriate workers employed in the industrial sector are no longer subject to fees in Saudi Arabia.
