{"id":93759,"date":"2025-01-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/"},"modified":"2025-01-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T00:00:00","slug":"saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/","title":{"rendered":"Saudi\u2019s private sector employed 12.1 mn people in 2024 + New nationalization targets"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong>The private sector employed a total of 12.1 mn workers in 2024<\/strong>, with expatriates accounting for 80% at 9.6 mn and Saudis at 2.5 mn, Alwatan<\/a> reports citing Human Resources and Social Development Ministry data.<\/p>\n

The gender gap:<\/strong> Saudi women accounted for 41% of local workers at 1.1 mn in 2024, while males made up 59% at 1.4 mn. Among expats, men dominated with 96% (9.2 mn), while women only comprised 4% of foreign workers (420.6k). Women workers were mainly based in Riyadh, with 48% of women nationwide working in the capital.<\/p>\n

Riyadh is the hub<\/strong>: The capital had the highest overall workforce concentration, hosting 45% of all local workers in 2024 at 1.1 mn, followed by the Eastern Region at 23% (574.3k), and Makkah at 20% (481.9k). Meanwhile, nearly half expat workers were based in Riyadh at 47% (4.5 mn), followed by the Eastern Region (18%), and Makkah (17%).<\/p>\n

Al Baha was on the other end of the spectrum<\/strong>, with only 0.3% of local workers nationwide, accounting for just 6.4k workers. Northern Borders closely followed with 0.3% (7k), while Al Jouf\u2019s share was 0.4% (10.3k).<\/p>\n

ALSO FROM THE MINISTRY-<\/p>\n

<\/strong>Nationalization rates are set to be increased in 269 professions across various sectors<\/strong>, following new directives from the Human Resources and Social Development Ministry, according to a post on X<\/a>. Targeted sectors include dentistry, pharma, accounting, and engineering.<\/p>\n

The new localization push will s<\/strong>ee different targets and directives for various sectors:<\/strong> <\/p>\n

The <\/strong>engineering sector<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s<\/strong> localization rate will be raised to 30%<\/strong>, with a focus on increasing local employment across 184 job categories, effective starting 27 July.<\/p>\n

Dentistry<\/a><\/strong> is targeting a 45% localization rate in the first phase starting 27 July<\/strong>, to be increased to 55% in the second phase slated for 27 January 2026.<\/p>\n

Accounting<\/a><\/strong> will see government programs increase Saudi representation across 44 job categories.<\/strong> In the first phase of the program, firms with more than five accountants will need to achieve 40% localization rate, effective starting 27 October 2025, with the rate increasing by 10 percentage points annually to hit a 70% Saudization target by October 2028 in the program\u2019s fourth phase. The fifth phase, set to begin in late 2029, will focus on firms with 3 to 4 accountants, aiming for a 30% localization rate. <\/p>\n

The <\/strong>pharma sector<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s directives focus on <\/strong>businesses <\/strong>with five or more workers<\/strong>, with the program aiming to achieve a 35% Saudization rate<\/strong> at community pharmas and medical complexes, 65% for pharma-related activities in hospitals, and 55% for other activities. The decision will be effective starting 27 July.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Riyadh stood out as the preferred destination for both locals and expats<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":93760,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_primary_brand":0,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2571],"tags":[27,10,2834],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"class_list":["post-93759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","tag-economy","tag-enterpriseam-ksa","tag-labor","wpautop","entry"],"acf":{"mongo_id":"4772dccb-c3a6-4cca-827e-4110feddda6b","order":"3","is_powered_by":false,"story_type":"1","photo_url":"https:\/\/ent.news\/2024\/8\/675.jpg","photo_position":"above","homepage_title":"","full_issue_title":"Saudi\u2019s private sector employed 12.1 mn people in 2024 + New nationalization targets","related_issue":[93754],"teaser":"Riyadh stood out as the preferred destination for both locals and expats","voice_url":"https:\/\/s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/ent.news\/audio\/2025\/7\/.00de092b-016f-4ace-aad4-0df05157d8b3.mp3"},"yoast_head":"\nSaudi\u2019s private sector employed 12.1 mn people in 2024 + New nationalization targets - KSA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Saudi\u2019s private sector employed 12.1 mn people in 2024 + New nationalization targets\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Riyadh stood out as the preferred destination for both locals and expats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"KSA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-01-27T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2024\/8\/675.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"enterpriseam admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"enterpriseam admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"enterpriseam admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#\/schema\/person\/ca597032db7e4db868359c123cec256d\"},\"headline\":\"Saudi\u2019s private sector employed 12.1 mn people in 2024 + New nationalization targets\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-27T00:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/\"},\"wordCount\":391,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2024\/8\/675.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"ECONOMY\",\"EnterpriseAM KSA\",\"labor\"],\"articleSection\":[\"ECONOMY\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/\",\"name\":\"Saudi\u2019s private sector employed 12.1 mn people in 2024 + New nationalization targets - KSA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2024\/8\/675.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-27T00:00:00+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2024\/8\/675.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2024\/8\/675.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Saudi\u2019s private sector employed 12.1 mn people in 2024 + New nationalization targets\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/\",\"name\":\"KSA\",\"description\":\"The State of the Nation\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#organization\",\"name\":\"KSA\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/42482.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/42482.svg\",\"caption\":\"KSA\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#\/schema\/person\/ca597032db7e4db868359c123cec256d\",\"name\":\"enterpriseam admin\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/enterpriseam.testing.projectsarea.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/author\/enterpriseam\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Saudi\u2019s private sector employed 12.1 mn people in 2024 + New nationalization targets - KSA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Saudi\u2019s private sector employed 12.1 mn people in 2024 + New nationalization targets","og_description":"Riyadh stood out as the preferred destination for both locals and expats","og_url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/","og_site_name":"KSA","article_published_time":"2025-01-27T00:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2024\/8\/675.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"enterpriseam admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"enterpriseam admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/"},"author":{"name":"enterpriseam admin","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#\/schema\/person\/ca597032db7e4db868359c123cec256d"},"headline":"Saudi\u2019s private sector employed 12.1 mn people in 2024 + New nationalization targets","datePublished":"2025-01-27T00:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/"},"wordCount":391,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2024\/8\/675.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1","keywords":["ECONOMY","EnterpriseAM KSA","labor"],"articleSection":["ECONOMY"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/","url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/","name":"Saudi\u2019s private sector employed 12.1 mn people in 2024 + New nationalization targets - KSA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2024\/8\/675.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1","datePublished":"2025-01-27T00:00:00+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2024\/8\/675.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2024\/8\/675.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/01\/27\/saudis-private-sector-employed-12-1-mn-people-in-2024-new-nationalization-targets\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Saudi\u2019s private sector employed 12.1 mn people in 2024 + New nationalization targets"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#website","url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/","name":"KSA","description":"The State of the Nation","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#organization","name":"KSA","url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/42482.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/42482.svg","caption":"KSA"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/#\/schema\/person\/ca597032db7e4db868359c123cec256d","name":"enterpriseam admin","sameAs":["http:\/\/enterpriseam.testing.projectsarea.com"],"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/author\/enterpriseam\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2024\/8\/675.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2024\/8\/675.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"enterpriseam admin","author_link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/author\/enterpriseam\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2024\/8\/675.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93759\/revisions"}],"acf:post":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue\/93754"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93759"},{"taxonomy":"brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/brand?post=93759"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=93759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}