“My Kingdom will survive only insofar as it remains a country difficult to access, where the foreigner will have no other aim, with his task fulfilled, but to get out.” — King Abdul Aziz bin Saud, c. 1930
As everyone would know, no matter how long you have worked in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, you will never be a citizen of the country nor be a permanent resident as it is their regulation from the beginning. Expatriates can only work in the said country for as long as they are capable of or for as long as they want, but that is it. There are wide varieties of job that are available for foreigners. However, the government in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a renewed focus on the issue of employment and opportunities for Saudi nationals.
Arab news reports that authorities concerned are formulating measures regarding the reservation of 18 more professions to Saudi nationals. And this information comes bearing threat to expatriates who are employed as one of these jobs because they are at an extreme risk for termination from employers and they will not have much of a say about it. Their law is definite.
Emigrants will have to either change careers or leave their current job voluntarily to avoid any commotion. However, the list of these occupations will be from the hotel industry, petrol chemical industry, carpentry, travel and tourism, and plumbing.
And if, you get to switch your work, it is necessary that you change the status of your Iqama immediately to avoid any untoward situations. Most of the time, it is uncertain when the authorities perform random operation regarding the subject matter that one could actually go to jail or get detained regarding the subject matter.
The following is the list of employment reserved for Saudi Nationals:
- Executive HR Manager
- Human Resource Manager
- Labor Affairs Manager
- Staff Relations Manager
- Staff Relations Specialist or Individual Affairs Clerk
- Recruitment Clerk or Employment Clerk
- Staff Affairs Clerk or Personal Affairs Clerk
- Duty Clerk or Attendance Control Clerk
- Receptionist
- Hotel Receptionist
- Health Receptionist
- Complaint Clerk or Claims Clerk
- Cashier
- Security Guard
- Representative or broker
- Key Specialist
- Custom Broker or Custom Clearance Employee
- Female Sales Specialist for Ladies’ Shop
