“Saudi’s Labour Reform Initiative: An Overview”

Saudi Arabia announced a series of labour reforms over the last few years that claim to loosen Kafala controls and provide more freedom of movement to migrant workers. While largely excluding the country’s most vulnerable workers — domestic and agricultural workers — the reforms seemed promising for the roughly 8.5 million migrant workers who fall under the scope of the labour law.

On paper, workers covered by labour law were granted basic rights for the first time…

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) announced in April 2024 that it will also revise absconding regulations for domestic workers, facilitating easier employment transfer under some conditions…

While Ministry data indicate that thousands of workers have availed of these reforms, in practice employers still retain a large degree of control over workers under their sponsorship. These controls are largely in the form of exit visas that employers can issue for virtually any reason, which force workers to leave the country within a set period of time unless they successfully file a labour complaint…

…Many low-income workers in particular require additional support that is available at a price from private agencies – that provide services to enable online complaints – which they may not be able to afford.