The Ministry of Human Resource and Social Development in Saudi Arabia announced new reforms during a press conference held in Riyadh.
As part of its Labour Relation Initiative, Saudi Arabia will allow employees to change their employer and request Exit/Re-Entry Visas without the employer’s consent, Local Media reported.
The reforms aim to drive greater competition in Saudi Arabia’s labor market as it will permit employees to change their employers and also allow employers to attract better talent. It is expected that ultimately it will increase competition, wages, and public spending inside the Kingdom.
In line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Programme, the new reforms will come into effect from March 2021 and it will allow expatriate workers additional rights.
The Ministry of Human Resource and Social Development said all these new initiatives will now be approved automatically without requiring the employer’s consent. The services will be made available to the public through the smartphone application ‘Absher’ and the Ministry’s electronic web portal reported local media.
The initiative would also lead to a reduction in the disputes between local employers and expatriate workers relating to employee mobility or exit visa requests.