The abolition of the sponsorship system in Saudi Arabia begins on Sunday … and 3 alternatives are 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 alternatives to work.

The abolition of this sponsorship system is part of improving the contractual relationship with workers and supporting the vision of the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources in terms of accountability and skills development, building of an attractive working environment and improvement of the working environment.

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

And the Saudi General Statistics Authority confirmed that the total number of workers in the private and public sectors stood at around 8.44 million workers, at the end of 2019.

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

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

The initiative has just activated the contractual reference in the employment relationship between the employer and the worker, on the basis of the employment contract documented between them through the contractual documentation program.

This helps to reduce the disparity in the contractual procedures of the Saudi worker compared to the expatriate worker. This will increase employment opportunities for Saudi citizens in the labor market and increase the recruitment of talent.

The professional mobility service allows a migrant worker to move to another job at the end of his employment contract without needing 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 exit and return service allows a migrant worker to travel outside of Saudi Arabia. This is when submitting the application, with notification to the employer electronically.

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

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

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

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

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

The initiative< pour améliorer la relation contractuelle >> should have positive economic effects, in particular: 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 objectives. Vision 2030 program through the “National Transformation” program.

The Department of Human Resources and Social Development said the initiative is part of its efforts to improve and increase the efficiency of the work environment, and is a continuation of its previous efforts. in this area, through the launch of several programs, the most important of which are the private sector workers’ wage protection program, the electronic contract documentation program and the work culture awareness program, and the “Wady” program for the settlement of labor disputes, as well as the adoption of the program insurance for workers’ rights.

In addition to launching a system of elected workers committees and other programs aimed at developing and improving the working environment, and protecting the rights of all parties to the contractual relationship.