Project Management Saudization: 70% Rule From 14 February 2027

What is the Saudization rate for project management jobs in 2027?

The rate is 70%, effective 14 February 2027 under Ministerial Decision No. 41454. It applies to establishments with three or more workers in the three covered occupations. The rates database shows how it compares with procurement at 70% and engineering at 30%, and the calendar lists the dates around it.

Which professions does the rule cover?

MHRSD's procedural guide lists three occupations, identified by their codes in the Saudi classification of occupations. Coverage follows the occupation registered for each employee, so check the code on file rather than the job title used internally.

Program, portfolio or delivery roles registered under other codes are not named in the decision. If a role's registered occupation does not match the work the person actually does, that mismatch is itself a compliance risk.

Which employers must comply?

The rule applies to private-sector establishments that employ three or more workers in the three targeted professions combined. The headcount that triggers the rule is the number of people in those three roles, not your total workforce.

The guide applies the rate at entity level: you count everyone in the covered professions across the entity, then apply 70% to that total. An entity with two project managers in Riyadh and two in Jeddah has four people in scope and must meet the rule.

How do you calculate the 70% requirement?

The method in MHRSD's guide is simple:

Saudis required = employees in the covered professions x 70%, rounded to the nearest whole number.

The guide's own example is an establishment with five employees in the covered roles: 5 x 70% = 3.5, which rounds to 4 Saudi employees. Here is the same calculation for other team sizes:

These are totals after hiring, not hires to add. The table shows the Saudi share of the whole covered team. If you keep your existing non-Saudi staff and hire Saudis on top, the team grows and so does the requirement. For example, a team of 5 non-Saudis needs 11 Saudi hires to reach 70% if nobody leaves (11 of 16), not 4. Plan replacements and additions separately.

Small teams feel the rounding most. At five people, the requirement is effectively 80% Saudi, because 3.5 rounds up to 4.

The procedural guide does not set a minimum salary for a Saudi employee to count toward this rate. Your Saudi employees' salaries still matter for your separate Nitaqat percentage, where pay below SAR 4,000 counts as half and pay below SAR 3,000 does not count.

How does this rule relate to Nitaqat?

They are two separate tests, and you have to pass both.

• Nitaqat rates your whole entity into a band (Platinum, High Green, Medium Green, Low Green or Red) based on your overall share of Saudi employees, your economic activity and your size.
• The project management rule looks only at the three covered occupations and requires 70% of them to be Saudi.

MHRSD's guide is explicit that the establishment's Nitaqat classification does not affect the calculation of the localization rate. A Platinum entity with a non-compliant PMO is still in breach of the project management decision. Our employer guide explains how the two tests interact. The Saudization certificate page explains what the certificate is and who gets one, and the Nitaqat overview covers the bands.

Key dates

See every upcoming effective date in the Saudization calendar.

What happens if an establishment does not comply?

MHRSD states that penalties for breaching the decision follow its Schedules of Violations and Penalties, issued under Ministerial Decision No. 112377 dated 21/08/1447 AH. The ministry's inspection teams monitor compliance with localization decisions after they take effect. Our guide to Saudization penalties and inspections covers how enforcement works across decisions.

What should employers do before 14 February 2027?

1. List everyone registered under codes 121314, 214909 and 242108 across the entity, including all branches.
2. Check registered occupations against actual duties. Correct genuine errors through the proper process; do not reclassify roles to avoid the rule.
3. Calculate your requirement with the rounding rule above, and the gap between today's Saudi headcount and the number required.
4. Plan the gap. Decide which roles you will fill through hiring, internal promotion or development, and by when.
5. Use available support. MHRSD points employers to recruitment assistance, training support, employment support and priority access to localization support programs; see Saudization support programs.
6. Keep contracts documented on Qiwa, so that your Saudi employees are recorded correctly for both this rule and Nitaqat.

The 90-day Saudization readiness checklist turns these steps into a plan you can hand to HR.

What does the rule mean for Saudi professionals?

Every covered establishment with three or more people in these roles now needs at least 70% of them to be Saudi. That raises demand for Saudi project managers, project management engineers and project management specialists, particularly people who can step into roles currently held by non-Saudis.

The decision does not set qualifications, but employers typically look for recognized project management credentials and delivery experience. Our project management careers guide covers skills, certifications and routes in for graduates and career switchers. The rule increases demand; it does not guarantee any individual a job.

What does the rule mean for expat project managers?

The rule does not ban non-Saudis from project management. It caps their share of the three covered occupations at what remains after the 70% Saudi requirement, for example up to three of ten roles. Establishments with fewer than three people in the covered roles are outside the decision, as are roles registered under other occupation codes. Our planning guide for expat project managers sets out the options factually.

What support is available?

MHRSD's guide lists support for employers implementing the decision: recruitment assistance, training support, employment support, and priority access to all localization support programs. Much of this is delivered through the Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf). See Saudization support programs for how to apply.