Okaz/Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced on Thursday that there are five professions that are not included in the labor reforms initiative, which seeks to improve the contractual relationship between the employee and the employer in the private sector.

The professions not covered under the initiative are private driver, home guard, domestic worker, shepherd and gardener or farmer, Okaz/Saudi Gazette has learned.

The ministry on Wednesday launched the landmark initiative, which will come into force, revamping the 70-year old sponsorship system.

The new initiative allows enhanced job mobility and regulates the issuance of exit and re-entry visa and final exit visas without the approval of the employer. It applies to all expatriate workers except the five categories in the private sector and includes specific control measures put in place to take into account the rights of both parties of the contractual relationship. Millions of expatriate workers are expected to benefit from these reform measures.

This initiative will improve and increase the efficiency of the work environment in the Kingdom and complement similar initiatives launched in this regard, including: the wage protection system, the digital documentation of work contracts, the labor education and awareness initiatives. The enhanced employee mobility will allow expatriate workers to transfer between employers upon the expiry of the binding labor contract without the employer’s consent.