Saudi Arabia announces new employment rules for expats
Here’s what to know
If you’re an expat working in Saudi Arabia, you should know that the country has just announced new employment regulations. This is what to know about the updated Saudi Arabian employment regulations.
The Qiwa platform in Saudi Arabia has rolled out new updates to its employment contract system, introducing significant changes to how employers can report workers as “absent from work.”
Under the updated Saudi Arabian employment regulations, employers can only submit an absence report if the worker’s residency permit (Iqama) is valid for at least 60 days and the worker has no active employment contract at the time of submission, according to Saudi Gazette.
Once a worker’s status changes to “disconnected from work,” they are given 60 days to take one of three actions: transfer to another employer, leave the country, or re-sign with the same employer. If no action is taken within this period, the worker will automatically be marked as “absent from work” and removed from the company’s records.
Qiwa has also made changes to the termination policy, wherein if a work contract ends, regardless of the circumstances, it will be regarded as “terminated” after the notice period is over. If the worker fails to act within the allowed grace period, an automatic notification will be sent to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) and the Ministry of Interior.
The platform has also introduced digital services that allow workers to obtain free employment-related certificates through their “Qiwa Individuals” account. Workers can now request digital salary certificates, while previous employees can request a verified certificate summarising their prior work history.
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