The abolition of the sponsorship system in Saudi Arabia begins on Sunday … and there are 3 alternatives available (details)

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia begins to implement the program to abolish the sponsorship system, which will affect millions of workers, and they will have 3 main job alternatives.

The abolition of this sponsorship system is part of the improvement of the contractual relationship with workers and supports the vision of the Ministry of Human Resources of Saudi Arabia in the empowerment and development of skills, the construction of an attractive work environment and the improvement of the working environment.

According to the Saudi daily “Sabq”, the initiative will present 3 main alternatives, namely (labor mobility, development of exit and return mechanisms and final exit).

And the Saudi General Statistical Authority confirmed that the total number of workers in the public and private sectors amounted to about 8.44 million workers at the end of 2019.

While the number of foreigners in public and private sector establishments reached around 6.48 million workers, according to the short-term business report.

Last November, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development launched an initiative to improve the contractual employment relationship, to include all expatriate workers in private sector establishments within specific controls that take into account the rights of the parties. of the contractual relationship.

The initiative activates the contractual reference in the employment relationship between the employer and the worker, based on the employment contract documented between them through the Contract Documentation Program.

This contributes to reducing the disparity in the contractual procedures of the Saudi worker versus the expatriate worker. This will increase employment opportunities for Saudi citizens in the labor market and increase the recruitment of talent.

The labor mobility service allows a migrant worker to transfer to another job at the expiration of their employment contract without the need for the employer’s approval.

The initiative also defines the transition mechanisms during the term of the contract, provided that the notice period and the specified controls are respected.

The departure and return service allows a migrant worker to travel outside of Saudi Arabia. This is when the application is submitted, with the employer notifying electronically.

While the final exit service allows a migrant worker to leave immediately after the end of the contract, with an online notification to the employer without requiring their consent.

In addition to the possibility of leaving Saudi Arabia, with the worker bearing all the consequences of the termination of the contract.

He explained that all these services will be available through the “Absher” and “Goui” platforms of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.

The “improve contractual relationship” initiative improves the competitiveness of the Saudi labor market with global labor markets and raises its ranking in international competitiveness indicators.

This initiative also promotes labor policies in accordance with the regulatory practices of internationally agreed labor relations, and will lead to the reduction of labor conflicts that sometimes arise from the disagreement of the parties to the contractual relationship, and will also contribute to empowerment and capital development, and attraction of skills to the labor market.

The initiative “to improve the contractual relationship” is expected to have positive economic effects, including: flexibility and development of the labor market, attracting highly qualified skills, increasing the productivity of the private sector and contributing to the achievement of Saudi Arabia’s targets. Vision 2030 Program through the “National Transformation” program.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development stated that this initiative is part of its desire to improve and increase the efficiency of the work environment, and arises as a continuation of its previous efforts in this field, through the launch of several programs, the the most important are the program for the protection of wages of private sector workers, the program for electronic documentation of contracts and the program for raising awareness on labor culture, and the “Wady” program for the resolution of labor disputes, as well as the adoption of insurance. workers’ rights program.

In addition to launching a system of elected workers’ committees and other programs related to the development and improvement of the work environment and the protection of the rights of all parties to the contractual relationship.