Labeeb Reference · last checked 22 September 2026 · informational, not legal advice
Saudization Tracker 2026
Which professions Saudi Arabia is localizing, at what percentage, from when. Sourced to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD), with each row dated and linked. For professionals planning a Saudi career move and companies planning their documentation — not a substitute for legal or compliance advice.
Saudization decisions by date
Source for every row: the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD). Where a release does not state a percentage or a threshold, the cell says so. Checked 29 September 2026.
| Date | Profession/sector | Percentage | Establishment size | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 July 2025 | Pharmacy: community pharmacy and medical complex activities | 35% | Five or more workers in pharmacy professions | HRSD |
| 27 July 2025 | Pharmacy: hospital pharmacy activities | 65% | Five or more workers in pharmacy professions | HRSD |
| 27 July 2025 | Pharmacy: other pharmacy-related activities | 55% | Five or more workers in pharmacy professions | HRSD |
| 27 July 2025 | Dentistry, first phase | 45% | Three or more workers in dentistry professions | HRSD |
| 27 July 2025 | Technical engineering professions | 30% | Five or more workers in technical engineering professions | HRSD |
| 27 October 2025 | Accounting, phase 1 (44 professions) | 40% | Five or more accountants | HRSD procedural manual |
| 27 January 2026 | Dentistry, second phase | 55% | Three or more workers in dental specialties | HRSD |
| 5 April 2026 | Administrative support professions (69 professions added) | 100% | Not stated in the release | HRSD |
| 19 April 2026 | Marketing professions | 60% | Three workers or more in these professions | HRSD |
| 19 April 2026 | Sales professions | 60% | Three workers or more in these professions | HRSD |
| 22 April 2026 | Tourism, first phase: Receptionist, Hotel Receptionist, Telephone Operator, Information Clerk | 100% | All tourism establishments in the private sector | HRSD |
| 22 April 2026 | Tourism, first phase: 12 professions | 70% | All tourism establishments in the private sector | HRSD |
| 22 April 2026 | Tourism, first phase: 12 other professions | 50% | All tourism establishments in the private sector | HRSD |
| 31 May 2026 | Procurement professions (12 professions) | 70% | Three or more workers in the targeted professions | HRSD |
| 30 June 2026 | Engineering professions (46 professions) | 30% | Five or more workers in the covered professions | HRSD |
| 27 October 2026 | Accounting, phase 2 | 50% | Five or more accountants | HRSD procedural manual |
| 3 January 2027 | Tourism, second phase | Not stated in the release | All tourism establishments in the private sector | HRSD |
| 14 February 2027 | Project management professions | 70% | Not stated in the passage read | HRSD |
| 27 October 2027 | Accounting, phase 3 | 60% | Five or more accountants | HRSD procedural manual |
| 2 January 2028 | Tourism, third and final phase | Not stated in the release | All tourism establishments in the private sector | HRSD |
| 27 October 2028 | Accounting, phase 4 | 70% | Five or more accountants | HRSD procedural manual |
| 27 October 2029 | Accounting, phase 5 | 30% | Three or four accountants (phase 4 continues for five or more) | HRSD procedural manual |
Minimum wages HRSD states for a Saudi employee to count: dentistry SAR 9,000; pharmacy SAR 7,000; technical engineering SAR 5,000; engineering SAR 8,000; marketing SAR 5,500; accounting SAR 6,000 (bachelor’s) and SAR 4,500 (diploma). Accountants must hold accreditation from the Saudi Organization for Certified Public Accountants; engineers from the Saudi Council of Engineers.
The UAE runs the Gulf’s other big localization programme — targets, fines and Nafis are tracked in our Emiratisation Tracker.
Profession localization decisions — current wave
Accounting — 40% → 70% in five phases
Phase 1: 40% from 27 October 2025 (44 professions); phase 2: 50% from 27 October 2026; phase 3: 60% from 27 October 2027; phase 4: 70% from 27 October 2028, all for establishments with five or more accountants. Phase 5: 30% from 27 October 2029 for establishments with three or four accountants. Saudi accountants must earn at least SAR 6,000 (bachelor’s) or SAR 4,500 (diploma) a month and hold accreditation from the Saudi Organization for Certified Public Accountants to count. Sources: HRSD procedural manual (page 9); HRSD, phase 1 commencement.
Marketing & sales — 60%
In force from 19 April 2026 for establishments with three or more workers in marketing professions or in sales professions. Saudi employees in marketing roles must earn at least SAR 5,500 a month to count. Source: HRSD, Saudization of marketing and sales professions.
Engineering — 30%
30% for 46 engineering professions from 30 June 2026, in establishments with five or more workers in the covered professions; Saudi engineers must earn at least SAR 8,000 a month and hold Saudi Council of Engineers accreditation to count. Technical engineering professions have been at 30% since 27 July 2025 (five or more workers, SAR 5,000). See what SCE accreditation checks. Sources: HRSD, engineering commencement; HRSD, engineering and procurement decisions; HRSD, 27 July 2025.
Procurement — 70%
In force since 31 May 2026: 70% for 12 procurement professions in establishments with three or more workers in the targeted professions. Source: HRSD, procurement professions.
Tourism — 41 roles in three phases
Phase 1, from 22 April 2026: 100% for receptionist, hotel receptionist, telephone operator and information clerk; 70% for 12 professions and 50% for 12 other professions, across all tourism establishments in the private sector. Phase 2 starts 3 January 2027 and the third and final phase on 2 January 2028; HRSD’s releases do not state the percentages for phases 2 and 3. 41 professions in total. Sources: HRSD, tourism decision; HRSD, phase 1 commencement.
Pharmacy — 35% / 65% / 55%
From 27 July 2025, for establishments with five or more workers in pharmacy professions: 35% for community pharmacy and medical complex activities, 65% for hospital pharmacy activities and 55% for other pharmacy-related activities. Saudi pharmacists must earn at least SAR 7,000 a month to count. Source: HRSD, 27 July 2025.
Dentistry — 45% → 55%
45% from 27 July 2025 for establishments with three or more workers in dentistry professions, then 55% in force since 27 January 2026. Dentists must earn at least SAR 9,000 a month to count. Sources: HRSD, 27 July 2025; HRSD, second phase.
Administrative roles — 100%
100% localization of 69 administrative support professions, including secretarial work, translation and data entry, from 5 April 2026. The HRSD release does not state an establishment-size threshold. Source: HRSD, administrative support professions.
Project management — 70% from 14 February 2027
Announced by MHRSD with the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing: 70% for project management manager, project management engineer and project management specialist, in establishments with three or more workers in these roles (Saudi Press Agency; HRSD).
Verify any percentage that affects a real decision directly with MHRSD (hrsd.gov.sa) — decisions carry establishment-size thresholds and phase-in schedules that summaries flatten. This page records decisions and dates; it does not advise on compliance. Last checked: 22 September 2026.
Nitaqat in 2026: what actually changed
Nitaqat bands. Band and sector-classification details were not re-verified for this page: check your establishment’s current band on Qiwa.
Qiwa contracts now decide the count. Saudization credit is tied to digital contract documentation on Qiwa — a Saudi employee without a Qiwa-documented contract is invisible to the count. Enforcement runs two layers deep: the overall band plus profession-specific quotas. Not re-verified against an MHRSD text on 22 September 2026.
The tender connection. A Green-or-better band and a Saudization certificate are prerequisites for bidding on Etimad government tenders, and Local Content scoring requires documented Saudi staff-development programmes — localization performance is now part of winning government work, on paper, literally. What the bid itself must contain is in our Etimad Bid Readiness Guide.
For Saudi professionals: Jadarat. The national employment platform uses a structured profile alongside an uploaded CV. Check the current file and eligibility requirements on Jadarat itself before you apply. One specific document, in Arabic, for a government audience — worth getting right.
What this means for the documents
For professionals entering under localization
Accountants, engineers, pharmacists, marketers and designers stepping into newly-localized roles compete on presentation: a bilingual CV built for both ATS screening and the Jadarat profile, and a LinkedIn profile that matches. CV writing
For companies documenting localization
Localization plans, training-programme documentation and bilingual HR materials are professional documents — our craft. We write and design them; we are not an HR, legal or compliance consultancy, and we do not advise on regulatory strategy. Business writing & design