The Impact of Companies in Saudi Arabia Employing Citizens in The Private Sector, And How Does This Relate to The Development of Saudisation Under Vision 2030.

Abstract

The implementation of the Saudisation programme in Saudi Arabia has elicited considerable scholarly interest in recent years. This study examined the implementation of Saudisation policy in the private sector, the programme’s benefits and challenges, and its contributions to Vision 2030. Eight managers from private organisations were recruited through purposive sampling to participate in the study. Data from these participants were collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed through thematic analysis. The study established that while the percentage of Saudi employees in the private sector has increased substantially, their composition is skewed to non-technical fields. The findings further revealed that implementing the Saudisation policy could lead to workforce sustainability in the private industry, increased opportunities to train local talents, and allow individuals to establish and run businesses in Saudi Arabia. These benefits notwithstanding, the study uncovered various obstacles hindering the implementation of the policy among private entities. Commonly experienced hurdles include a shortage of skilled local talents, Saudi nationals’ reluctance to work in the private sector, and the inadequacy of Taqat in talent screening. Despite these challenges, the study found that the Saudisation policy can contribute to the realisation of Vision 2030 goals by alleviating unemployment rates and boosting the country’s economy fortunes through increased investments by locals. Keywords: Saudisation, localisation, Nitaqat, private sector, Saudi nationals, expatriates, Vision 2030