With support from the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), Saudi Arabia around 1,43,000 nationals including women, secured jobs in private sector organisations during the first quarter of 2025, according to an official HRDF statement.

This marks a significant 93 percent increase compared to Q1 of 2024. HRDF stated that “the number of beneficiaries of the training, empowerment, and guidance services and programs carried out by the Fund during the first quarter of this year reached 1.18 million — a growth rate of 4 percent compared to the same period last year.”

#صندوق_تنمية_الموارد_البشرية يساهم في توظيف 143 ألف مواطن ومواطنة عبر برامج الصندوق للعمل في منشآت القطاع الخاص خلال الربع الأول من العام الجاري 2025م، بنسبة نمو بلغت 93% مقارنة بالربع الأول من عام 2024م. pic.twitter.com/9B82BzjogL

— صندوق تنمية الموارد البشرية | هدف (@HRDFKSA) May 21, 2025

According to the report, over 98,000 private sector organisations in Saudi Arabia sought support from HRDF to help meet their Saudization targets — a 37 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Notably, 93 percent of these organisations were medium, small, and micro enterprises (MSMEs).

The report added that “HRDF spent a total of SR1.83 billion on training, empowerment, and guidance support programs during the first quarter.”

Turki Al-Jawini, Director General of HRDF, shared, “Based on the Fund's commitment to supporting and empowering national cadres in the labor market, the Fund contributed during the first quarter of 2025 to employing 143,000 citizens to work in the private sector, a growth rate of 93% compared to the first quarter of 2024, while the number of beneficiaries of training, empowerment, and guidance services and programs reached 1.18 million beneficiaries.”

He also noted the remarkable growth in the number of Saudi individuals and private sector establishments benefiting from the Fund's training, empowerment, and guidance programs. This reflects HRDF's ongoing efforts to meet the evolving demands of the labour market, align workforce development with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, and enhance its overall efficiency.

The support provided by HRDF toward Saudization efforts also includes wage subsidy programs, support women's participation in the workforce, and workplace integration for persons with disabilities.

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Recently, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources announced the Saudization of over 40 job roles within the tourism sector. These include managerial positions, chefs, as well as public relations and marketing roles.

Additionally, new Saudization targets have been set for the healthcare and engineering sectors. Between 60% to 80% of jobs in healthcare fields such as radiology, medical laboratories, clinical nutrition, and physiotherapy are now designated for Saudi nationals. The engineering sector will see a 30% Saudization rate, as part of a broader revision affecting over 260 private sector job roles.