Saudi Arabia to vet whether its workers in job market have required skills

The “Professional Verification” programme was launched yesterday by the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, a local media reported.

The programme, which will feature practical and theoretical examinations in the workers’ specialised fields, seeks to improve the quality of skilled workers in the Saudi labour market, enhance their productivity, improve the quality of services they provide, as well as reduce the influx of unqualified workers into the Saudi labour market.

The “Professional Verification” programme has two separate tracks: the first aims to examine all skilled workers in their countries, in cooperation with selected international examination centres, before their arrival in the Kingdom while the second aims to examine existing skilled workers in Saudi Arabia in cooperation with certified local examination centres.

HRSD urged all establishments to begin the verification process for all their current skilled workers in the Kingdom, as the verification will become gradually enforced – based on the size of the establishment – starting July 2021.

This means the work visa for the targeted jobs will be linked to the skilled worker passing the examination in his country. This decision will be enforced on a gradual basis in accordance with a roll-out plan developed alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the countries sending labour to the Kingdom.

The programme is expected to develop the skills of the workforce in Saudi Arabia according to international standards to meet the needs of the Saudi labour market, and it will target more than 1,000 specialised professions belonging to 23 specialty fields as per the Saudi Standard Classification of Occupations.