Graduate outlookThe use of Arabic for day-to-day business and the government’s aim to maximise employment of the Saudi workforce does gives some advantage to local people. However, a shortage of graduates means that there are vacancies in numerous sectors, including telecommunications, the petrochemical sector, transport, power generation and distribution. Plans for 600,000 new homes, 4,000 new schools, as well as new hospitals, universities, factories and water desalination projects ('Saudi property boom takes off', CNN International - Saudi Arabia, June 2007) are likely to result in an increase in graduate opportunities within the engineering and construction sector. Saudi Arabia’s commitment to educating and training its own workforce means that there are opportunities for graduates in schools and universities. There are also opportunities for teaching expatriate children in private schools and for working in specialist language schools. Because of cultural and religious restrictions, career choices for female graduates are likely to be limited. However, single sex schools and private schools for expatriate children provide vacancies for teachers. The shortage of healthcare workers means that there are also opportunities in Saudi Arabia for expatriate medical staff. back to top The economyThe Saudi Arabian government aims to make the country one of the top ten most economically competitive countries in the world by 2010 and plans to create six ‘economic cities’ by 2020, creating up to one million new jobs ('Saudi aims for global top ten', CNN International - Saudi Arabia, March 2007). The main areas of employment within the country are industry (67%), services (29.8%) and agriculture (3.3%) (The World Factbook, 2007). Other major sectors include financial services, construction and building materials (Saudi Arabia Country Profile, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), 2007). back to top CompaniesThe largest employer of UK expatriates in Saudi Arabia is the defence contractor BAE Systems. The former US-owned national oil company Saudi Aramco based in Dhahran is also a major employer of foreign workers, either directly or via subcontracted service providers. Other multinational oil and gas companies with Saudi bases include Shell and BP. Most of the major IT companies have a presence in Saudi Arabia, including Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, IBM and Sun Microsystems. back to top UnemploymentUnemployment currently runs at 13-25% (The World Factbook, July 2007). Updated labour force statistics can be found on The World Factbook website. back to top Working practices and customs- Only contracts of employment written in Arabic are legally binding.
- Employers usually pay for flights, accommodation and other costs for workers from outside the country.
- A normal working day would be eight hours long, working up to 48 hours per week.
- The weekend is considered to be Thursday and Friday.
- Annual leave entitlement is 21 days after one year of service and 30 days after five years. See the Guidebook for expatriates recruited for work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for more details.
- The employer has the right to decide the time of annual leave.
- For salaried employees the period of notice is 30 days.
- Salaries are usually good, with many expatriates receiving generous benefits packages.
- Investment of oil revenue to fund public spending has also led to a low level of income tax.
back to top Language requirementsThe official language of Saudi Arabia is Arabic. English is widely spoken and is the universal language of commerce and business.
| 
Saudi Arabia: Job market
