Saudi Arabia sets a minimum wage and a maximum wage for all expatriate workers and residents

The authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia officially announced this morning a cap on the wages of a group of expatriate workers from the state of Burundi.

Saudi Arabia announces setting the upper limit for the recruitment of domestic workers from the Republic of Burundi and the recruitment policy

In a statement today, the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced its decision to set the upper limit for the recruitment of domestic workers from the Republic of Burundi. This decision comes within the framework of the Ministry’s policy in organizing procedures and price governance in the recruitment market, controlling and following up on their implementation to ensure the quality of services provided.

According to a report by the Saudi newspaper Okaz, the ministry has set the maximum limit for the recruitment of domestic workers from Burundi at 7,500 Saudi riyals, without including the value added tax. This step comes after the previous decision in which the Ministry obligated licensed companies and offices not to exceed the highest ceiling of costs set by the Ministry last September for a number of nationalities, in order to maintain the quality of services provided in the recruitment market.

The steps used to determine the maximum limit for recruitment

The new decision, which was announced today, follows the same steps that the ministry took in the past to set the upper limit for the recruitment of domestic workers from other republics, where several factors were studied to determine the upper limit for the recruitment from Burundi, namely:

Recruitment costs

The costs of recruitment from Burundi have been carefully studied and analyzed to determine the upper limit for recruitment.

What is the story of setting the upper limit for recruitment from Burundi?

The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced the imposition of an upper limit for the recruitment of domestic workers from Burundi. This announcement comes as part of the ministry’s efforts to regulate the Saudi labor market and ensure protection for expatriate domestic workers. In this article, we will talk about the story of setting the maximum limit for recruitment from Burundi and what are the ministry’s goals behind this decision.

What is the story of determining the upper limit for recruitment?

The issue of setting the maximum limit for recruitment comes within the framework of the Ministry’s efforts to improve and regulate the Saudi labor market and ensure protection for expatriate domestic workers. This comes in light of the challenges faced by expatriate domestic workers, which may include violations of their rights and exposure to violence and exploitation.

Determining the maximum limit for recruitment comes as an organized measure to ensure the provision of an appropriate number of expatriate domestic workers, and to reduce the high costs of recruitment, which serves the interest of domestic workers and employers alike.

What are the objectives of the ministry behind this decision?

The Ministry aims behind this decision to control and regulate the Saudi labor market, and to ensure that protection is provided for expatriate domestic workers. This comes within the framework of the Ministry’s continuous efforts to improve and develop the work environment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

These efforts come within the framework of the Ministry’s keenness to improve the work environment, preserve the rights of domestic workers, and provide protection and safety for them, by increasing transparency and organization in recruitment processes, controlling prices, and reducing violations that domestic workers may be exposed to.

The new decision, which includes setting an upper limit for recruitment from Burundi, comes after the great success achieved by the Ministry in reducing many violations and abuses in the recruitment market, by imposing many controls and restrictions on recruitment companies and offices, and providing the necessary oversight to follow up on their implementation.

It is expected that a large number of domestic workers will be recruited from Burundi, given the low cost compared to recruitment prices from some other countries, which are determined based on supply and demand in the recruitment market.

In this regard, the Ministry calls on all citizens and residents wishing to recruit domestic workers to cooperate with the Ministry and abide by the relevant laws and regulations, and ensure that they only deal with licensed companies and offices, and avoid dealing with unlicensed companies and individuals, in order to preserve the rights of domestic workers and provide a work environment. safe and stable for them.

Conditions for deporting workers from Saudi Arabia

This decision was taken as part of the efforts of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development aimed at developing the services provided, improving the labor market environment, increasing its attractiveness, and adapting it to global markets, in addition to reviewing costs, services, and systems in line with economic changes.

The Ministry calls on all dealers to adhere to not exceeding the announced price ceiling to avoid the penalties stipulated in the Activity Regulations for Recruitment and Labor Services Rules, as it will follow up on implementing this through the “Musaned” platform.

And last November, the Saudi “Musaned” platform stated that if the worker refuses to work after being recruited, the responsibility lies with the recruitment offices that mediated their recruitment, for a period of 90 days from the date of their arrival in Saudi Arabia.

“Okaz” newspaper reported that the “Musaned” platform confirmed, during the trial period, the commitment of the recruitment office/company to deport the worker and return the recruitment cost deducted from it, according to the period the worker spent at work and based on the following equation: (Total recruitment cost ÷ Duration of the worker’s work contract in months ) × the remaining period of the worker’s work contract in months.

The Saudi platform, Musaned, stressed the need to deport the worker and return the recruitment costs in the event that the worker refuses to work after the recruitment, and the period that the worker spent at work is calculated to determine the refund amount, according to the aforementioned equation.

On the other hand, Musaned indicated that if the office refuses to bear these costs, a complaint must be submitted through the platform to follow up on the complaint until the rights are restored. She explained that the beneficiary can prove the worker’s refusal to work through the committees for resolving domestic labor disputes or documentation from the licensee, and then file the complaint through the platform for follow-up.