Saudization of Engineering Technicians: 35% Quota for 94 Professions from 9 May 2027

Published: 9 November 2026 · By Salah Aljadaani · Editorial policy

In brief: On Sunday 8 November 2026, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD), in partnership with the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, announced a decision raising the Saudization rate for 94 engineering technician professions to 35% in private-sector establishments. Implementation starts from 9 May 2027, and the decision applies to establishments with 5 or more workers in the targeted professions, calculated at the level of the establishment entity.

What did the ministry announce?

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the decision is part of the ministry’s efforts to localize specialized professions, empower national talent and raise its participation in the labor market, in line with the Labor Market Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030.

The decision sets a 35% Saudization rate for engineering technician professions and applies to all private-sector establishments employing 5 or more workers in the targeted professions, at the establishment-entity level, as set out in the procedural guide the ministry published on its website.

Which professions are covered?

The announcement lists, among the targeted professions:

• Civil engineering technician
• Electrical engineering technician
• Mechanical engineering technician
• Electronics engineering technician
• Surveying technician
• Mechanical maintenance technician
• Architectural draftsman

plus other engineering technician professions under the Saudi Standard Classification of Occupations. The full list of 94 professions, the calculation method and the compliance rules are in the decision’s procedural guide on the HRSD website.

Who is affected?

Any private-sector establishment with 5 or more workers in engineering technician roles. In practice this typically includes contracting, maintenance and operations companies, factories, engineering service offices, and businesses with in-house maintenance teams. Because the rate is calculated at the establishment-entity level, what matters is the total across all branches, not a single branch.

What should a business do before 9 May 2027?

Businesses have roughly six months from the announcement. Practical steps:

1. List all employees in engineering technician roles as officially registered, and match them against the 94 professions in the procedural guide.
2. Calculate your current rate at the entity level using the method in the guide.
3. Size the gap between your current rate and 35%, and plan hiring or training to close it.
4. Review support programs: the ministry said the HR ecosystem offers incentives covering recruitment, training, qualification, employment and job stability, with priority access to Saudization support programs.
5. Budget for it now: hiring and training costs for 2027 belong in this year’s planning, not after enforcement begins.

What does this mean for your system?

Saudization decisions depend on accurate data about employees, their roles and their cost. In RivDesktop from Riv-ERP, that is supported by:

• HR and payroll in the same system as accounting: employee records, payroll runs and payroll journal entries in one place, so hiring plans are built on actual numbers.
• ZKTeco BioTime fingerprint integration: attendance flows straight into payroll.
• Cost centers, projects and branches: see what technical teams cost per project or branch when estimating the impact of new hires.
• Field-level permissions and an audit log: sensitive employee data is visible and editable only by authorized users, with a record of who changed what and when.

Read more: Payroll and HR Management for Saudi Companies with ERP and Payroll and Attendance Software in Riv-ERP. For pricing tailored to your business: request a quote.

Note: this article is general information, not legal advice. The final reference is the HRSD decision and its procedural guide.

Sources

• Saudi Press Agency (SPA): HRSD, with the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, raises Saudization of 94 engineering technician professions to 35% — 8 November 2026 (Arabic)
• Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development: the decision’s procedural guide (Knowledge Centre)
• Al Arabiya Business: Saudi Arabia raises Saudization of 94 engineering professions to 35% — 8 November 2026 (Arabic)