Saudi HR ministry cracks down on labor violations

Inspection tours are ongoing at all facilities across the Kingdom. (File/SPA)
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  • 88,776 warnings issued after inspecting over 700,000 facilities across the Kingdom

RIYADH: Teams from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development inspected more than 700,000 private-sector facilities in the Kingdom from the beginning of the year to mid-July 2024, as part of its ongoing efforts to regulate and control the labor market and ensure that establishment owners comply with labor regulations, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.

The teams issued 88,776 warnings to establishments contravening the law, while “107,329 establishments were found in noncompliance with several articles of the labor law,” according to the SPA.

The list of violations included 59,891 employers who failed to raise wages as specified by the ministry, 16,295 cases of employees who had not received salaries, and 7,662 cases of foreigners employed in professions or activities reserved exclusively for Saudi nationals.

The ministry’s teams have “intensified efforts to monitor compliance with the decision to localize jobs, visiting 522,092 establishments,” the SPA stated. “These visits resulted in 9,712 job opportunities for citizens and helped achieve target localization rates in numerous sectors.” The percentage of establishments complying with localization laws increased to 93.5 percent.

The teams also conducted 840 visits to petrol stations and service centers throughout the Kingdom, in collaboration with the relevant authorities.

Inspection tours are ongoing at all facilities across the Kingdom. The ministry has urged individuals to report any violations by calling 19911 or via the ministry’s app.