Saudization Rates by Profession: Current Rates and Effective Dates
Saudi Arabia sets separate Saudization rates for named professions and sectors on top of each employer's Nitaqat band. Current rules include 70% for procurement, 60% for marketing and for sales, 30% for engineering and 100% for 69 administrative support roles, with 70% for project management from 14 February 2027. Each rule applies above a headcount threshold and some add a minimum salary for a Saudi employee to count.
| Profession or sector | Rate | Applies to | Salary floor | Effective | Status | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project management | 70% | 3+ workers in the 3 targeted professions (entity level) | None stated | 14 Feb 2027 | Announced | H |
| Procurement | 70% | 3+ workers in the 12 targeted professions | None stated | 31 May 2026 | Current | H |
| Marketing | 60% | 3+ workers in the 10 targeted professions | SAR 5,500 | 19 Apr 2026 | Current | H |
| Sales | 60% | 3+ workers in the targeted sales professions (9 occupation codes in the procedural guide) | None stated | 19 Apr 2026 | Current | H |
| Engineering | 30% | 5+ workers in the 46 targeted engineering professions | SAR 8,000 | 30 Jun 2026 | Current | H |
| Accounting | 50% | 5+ workers in covered accounting professions | SAR 6,000 (bachelor) / SAR 4,500 (diploma) | 40% since 27 Oct 2025; 50% from 27 Oct 2026 | Current | H |
| Administrative support | 100% | 1+ worker in the 69 targeted professions | None stated in the 2026 update | 5 Apr 2026 | Current | M |
| Housing supervisors | 100% | Collective housing for 20+ residents | SAR 5,000 (reported by Okaz) | 1 Feb 2026 | Current | M |
| Dentistry | 55% | Private-sector establishments with 3+ workers in dental specialties | SAR 9,000 | 27 Jan 2026 | Current | H |
| Wellness centers and spas | 100% | Administrative roles, 30 job titles | None stated | 11 May 2026 | Current | M |
| Tourism | Phased | Private tourism establishments; 41 professions over three phases (28 in phase 1) | Existing profession floors apply (e.g. SAR 5,500 marketing) | Phase 1: 22 Apr 2026; phase 2: 3 Jan 2027; phase 3: 2 Jan 2028 | Current | H |
| Gyms and sports centers | 15% | Gyms and sports centers with 4+ workers; 12 sports trainer professions | Being verified | 18 Nov 2026 | Announced | M |
Database version 2026.10.09, last verified 9 October 2026. Download CSV.
What Saudization percentage does my company need?
There is no single percentage. Your Nitaqat target depends on your economic activity and headcount, so check it on Qiwa or in the Nitaqat calculator. On top of that, the table above lists the fixed profession and sector rates that apply if you employ enough people in the covered roles.
Are Saudization percentages the same for every industry?
No. Nitaqat targets use constants that MHRSD publishes for each economic activity, and profession and sector rules run from 15% for gyms to 100% for administrative support. Read how Nitaqat is calculated for the first, and the Saudization 2026 overview for the second.
How to read this table
Each row is one MHRSD decision from 2025 or 2026. Some earlier rules still in force, such as pharmacy, legal and customer service, are covered on their own pages. Before you rely on a rate, check three things: whether your establishment meets the threshold, whether the employee's registered occupation is one of the covered professions, and whether a salary floor applies for a Saudi employee to count. Rates for named professions sit on top of your Nitaqat band; they do not replace it.
Data dictionary
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Rate | The minimum share of the covered roles that must be filled by Saudi nationals. |
| Applies to | The headcount in the covered professions (or the type of establishment) that brings an employer into scope. |
| Salary floor | The minimum monthly salary a Saudi employee must earn to count toward that profession's rate. "None stated" means the decision names no floor. |
| Effective | The date the rule applies, after any grace period. |
| Status | Current: in force. Announced: decided, with a future effective date. |
| Confidence | H: verified on an MHRSD page or procedural guide. M: verified on secondary sources such as major law firms; shown with its source. Conflicting or unverified facts are not shown. |
| Sources | The documents each fact comes from. The Arabic MHRSD text is the reference where English versions differ. |
Download the data
The Saudization rates CSV contains every row above with its sources. It is free to use with attribution to StrongYes. The version date in the file tells you which release you have; we update it whenever a rate, threshold or date changes, and record each change in the changes tracker.
How we verify these rates
Every figure is checked against the ministry's decision or procedural guide where available, with the Arabic text as the reference. Where a rule is only confirmed by secondary sources, it is marked M and its source is named. Read our full methodology.
Frequently asked questions
01What Saudization percentage does my company need?
It depends on two tests, so there is no single figure. Nitaqat sets a required Saudi percentage for your whole entity from its economic activity and headcount. Profession rules add fixed percentages for named roles: 70% for procurement, 60% for marketing and sales, 30% for engineering and 100% for 69 administrative support professions.
02Are Saudization percentages the same for every industry?
No. Nitaqat targets differ by economic activity, because MHRSD publishes separate constants for each activity, band and year. Profession and sector rules also differ, from 15% for gyms and sports centers to 55% for dentistry, 70% for procurement and 100% for 69 administrative support professions.
03What is the highest Saudization rate for a profession?
100%. Roles at 100% include 69 administrative support professions, housing supervisors in collective housing for 20 or more residents, and administrative roles in wellness centers and spas. Those roles are reserved for Saudi nationals in covered establishments.
04Do profession rates replace Nitaqat?
No. Profession rates apply on top of Nitaqat. An employer must meet its Nitaqat band requirement for the whole entity and every profession rule that applies to roles it employs.
05Can I download the Saudization rates?
Yes. The full table is available as a CSV file with the rate, threshold, salary floor, effective date, status and source for each rule, plus the database version date.
06Which professions are Saudized in 2026?
Active profession rules include procurement (70%), marketing (60%), sales (60%), engineering (30%), 69 administrative support roles (100%), housing supervisors (100%), dentistry (55%) and accounting (40%, rising to 50% on 27 October 2026), with project management (70%) announced for February 2027. Sector rules cover tourism, wellness centers and gyms.
Sources
- MHRSD: 70% Saudization rate for project management professions. Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, 16 August 2026.
- MHRSD: Procedural Guide on the Decision to Localize Project Management Professions (PDF). Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, 2026-09.
- MHRSD: Implementation of 70% Saudization in procurement professions. Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, 18 June 2026.
- MHRSD: Localization decisions for engineering and procurement professions. Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, 21 January 2026.
- MHRSD: 60% Saudization in marketing and sales professions. Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, 26 January 2026.
- MHRSD: Saudization in marketing and sales professions takes effect. Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, 19 April 2026.
- MHRSD: Developed Nitaqat Program Procedural Guide, 2026 edition (Arabic). Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, 2026-01.
- MHRSD: Procedural guide, localization of accounting professions. Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, 2026-04.
- Ministry of Health: Phase two of dental job localization. Ministry of Health, 27 January 2026.
- MHRSD: Procedural guide, localization of the tourism sector. Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, 2025-04.
- Saudi Press Agency: Tourism sector localization decision. Saudi Press Agency.
This page explains Saudi workforce localization rules for general information. It is not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm against the official MHRSD decision linked above and take advice from a qualified Saudi legal adviser before acting. StrongYes is an independent publication and is not affiliated with MHRSD, Qiwa or any Saudi government body. Full disclaimer.