KSA Tourism Ministry bans outsourcing jobs reserved for nationals

The rules, which apply to all licensed tourism establishments, limit outsourcing only to firms licensed by the Ministry or authorised by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development to employ Saudi citizens. 

“The aim of this policy is to establish requirements, rules, and conditions for the localisation of activities and the registration of employees in the specified establishments, in accordance with the provisions of the Tourism Law and the regulations governing the activities supervised by the Ministry,” the guidelines stated. 

To strengthen oversight, all workers must now be registered with KSA HR Ministry before starting employment. “All employment contracts (subcontracted, temporary, seasonal, seconded, or external staffing) must be documented through the Ajeer platform (or any other platform designated by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development) before employees start work,” it stated. 

Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, commented, “With the decision to localize tourism activities, we are moving toward a future led by the nation's sons and daughters, with distinguished tourism services and an authentic Saudi hospitality experience that will be reflected in visitors from all over the world.” 

According to the Saudization mandate, “All licensed tourism establishments listed in Article (3) must localize 50% of total jobs, according to the following timeline: 

A key mandate also requires licensed hospitality facilities to have a Saudi receptionist present during working hours. The ministry said the measures are designed to expand job opportunities for nationals, boost local capabilities in the tourism sector, and raise service quality, with compliance to be closely monitored in coordination with the HR ministry.