In a move that could affect the prospects of many Indians, Saudi Arabia has come up with new norms that restrict the position of housing supervisor in residential complexes just to its nationals.
According to the new regulation, only Saudi nationals can be appointed to housing supervisor posts in buildings that accommodate 20 or more people. They must be paid a minimum salary of 5,000 Riyals (approximately ₹1.2 lakh). The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development and the Ministry of Housing have announced that legal action, including heavy fines, will be taken against violators.
Currently, these positions are held by expatriates, including many Malayalis, who work for lower salaries. This follows a recent announcement of the Saudisation of 12 positions in the sports centre and gymnasium sectors.
Last month, the kingdom introduced nationalisation in the health sector, the second phase of the Saudisation plan for key health professions in the private sector. As per new norms, the regulation mandates higher nationalisation rates across four medical fields: clinical nutrition and physical therapy at 80 per cent, medical laboratories at 70 per cent, and radiology at 65 per cent. The minimum monthly salary is set at SR7,000 for specialists and SR5,000 for technicians, according to reports.
Besides in the health sector, Saudi Arabia introduced Saudisation in other sectors, including in accounting, where it is required to maintain a 40 per cent Saudisation rate, progressively increasing to 70 per cent over a five-year period. Businesses with five or more accountants must ensure compliance with these changes. In the engineering sector, it was mandated that private-sector establishments with five or more engineers must have at least 30 per cent of their workforce comprised of Saudi nationals in engineering technical roles.
Saudisation or Nitaqat has been devised to boost local employment by mandating that companies fill their workforce with Saudi nationals up to prescribed levels. The latest measures emphasise the Kingdom’s commitment to reducing unemployment and strengthening the domestic workforce.
