Saudi Arabia raises Saudization quota to 35% for 94 engineering professions

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia is raising its Saudization quota for 94 technical engineering professions to 35%, up from 30%, effective 9 May 2027, the Saudi Gazette reported.

The decision, issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development together with the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, applies to private establishments with five or more workers in covered professions. The list spans civil, electrical, mechanical and electronic engineering technicians, surveying technicians and architectural drafters, with compliance calculated at entity level. A minimum salary of SAR 5,000 counts toward the rate.

The trajectory is one-way. The quota stood at 25% in December 2021, moved to 30% in July 2025, and now goes to 35% in May 2027. There is no reason to expect the sequence stops there.

For startups and scale-ups hiring engineering talent in the Kingdom, the read is straightforward: the cost of building technical teams in Saudi Arabia rises on a schedule, not on a surprise. Companies with a Saudi hiring plan for 2027 should model the 35% floor now rather than in April 2027. Founders running remote-first engineering outside the Kingdom just received another nudge in that direction.

Expect follow-on quotas in adjacent technical categories. Riyadh has found a lever it likes.