Part-Time and Student Workers in Nitaqat: How They Count

Part time Nitaqat counting depends on how the worker is registered on Qiwa. A Saudi registered as a regular full-time employee earning SAR 4,000 or more counts as one. A Saudi registered as part-time or as a student does not, and flexible work is credited by hours.

Do part-time Saudi employees count toward Nitaqat?

Reports of Qiwa's criteria, carried by Gulf Insider, HR Katha and Gulf Business in late September and early October 2026, list the conditions for counting as one Saudi employee. One of them, as Gulf Business words it, is that the worker must not be registered as part-time or as a student. KPMG's summary words this differently, saying the conditions do not apply to part-time or student registrations, so confirm the treatment in the Nitaqat calculator.

We have not found a published MHRSD table that gives a fractional weight to a part-time employee under the 2026 program, so we do not state one. If your workforce plan relies on part-time Saudis, test it in the Nitaqat calculator first.

How does flexible work count toward Nitaqat?

MHRSD's flexible work service documents short, hours-based contracts between employers and individual workers. Its service page states that an establishment earns Nitaqat credit when the work reaches 160 hours in total. In May 2024 MHRSD amended Article 27 of the Executive Regulations of the Labor Law to raise the limit to 160 hours a month at one establishment, and stated that a full point in Nitaqat is earned when a flexible worker, or a group of flexible workers, completes 160 hours.

A worked example, using the stated rule. A retailer books four Saudi flexible workers for 10 hours each in a month. Together they complete 40 hours, short of the 160 needed. If the four complete 160 hours in total, the establishment earns one point for that month. It would take 640 hours in total to earn four points. Under this approach, flexible work adds to your Nitaqat count in proportion to hours worked and does not create a full Saudi employee.

Is the older one-third rule still valid?

Part-time work rules approved in 2020 by the then Minister of Human Resources, as reported by Gulf News citing Okaz, said part-time Saudis would count as one third of a full-time Saudi in Nitaqat. We could not confirm that rule in MHRSD's current documents. The ministry's flexible work service and its 2024 amendment describe the hours-based method above. Treat the one-third figure as historical and use the current method.

Do students count in Nitaqat?

A Saudi registered as a student does not count as one Saudi under the criteria reported for Qiwa. That matters for employers who hire university students into permanent-looking roles, since the registration status, not the job title, decides the count.

Students can still gain from HRDF programs. HRDF's 2026 program guide for establishments lists a Cooperative Training product for students who need training to graduate, and a Professional Experience product for secondary, diploma and bachelor's students. Both are training products, and the guide does not describe them as employment that counts in Nitaqat. The support programs overview lists them.

Does part-time work qualify for Hadaf wage support?

No. HRDF's Employment Support is for full-time employment, and remote and part-time work are excluded. The employee must be a Saudi aged 18 to 60 earning SAR 4,000 to 15,000 a month, with at least 90 days of GOSI registration. Details are on our Hadaf wage support page.

Do remote Saudi employees count toward Saudization?

We have not found an MHRSD rule that sets out how remote work counts toward Nitaqat, so we do not state one. The published conditions still apply, including a contract documented on Qiwa and the salary rules. HRDF's Hadaf wage support excludes remote work. Confirm the treatment of a remote role on Qiwa or with MHRSD.

How can an employer check the current treatment?

1. Open the establishment's account on Qiwa and review each Saudi employee's registered work type.
2. Run the Nitaqat calculator with and without the part-time and student employees.
3. Check Qiwa contract documentation for the contract limits that also affect counting.
4. If the result is unclear, ask MHRSD through its support channels and keep the reply on file.
5. Review pay against the salary thresholds for any profession rule that applies.

For the wider rules, see the Nitaqat overview, the employer guide and the rates database.