His Excellency the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi, affirmed at Real Estate Future Forum that the Ministry is working in close coordination with the government system and the private sector to create economic and employment opportunities for citizens and to Saudize professions, which has resulted in an increase in the number of Saudis working in the private sector from 1.7 million in 2019 to 2.3 million in 2023—a record high achieved for the first time—including 361,000 who had never worked before.
His Excellency said today during his participation in the ministerial session of the Future of Real Estate Forum in Riyadh “Before July 2021, we had no decision to Saudize real estate professions and activities, and the number of Saudis working in the sector did not exceed 12,000. Two years after the decision was implemented, we now have more than 26,000 citizens working in the real estate sector—an increase of 1,16%—across 12 diverse real estate professions, including brokerage, sustainable construction, and arbitration,” He noted that these figures demonstrate the competence of Saudi citizens in the labor market, as well as the importance of empowerment and partnership with the private sector to create job opportunities for young people of both genders, and he expressed his gratitude to the real estate development companies that contributed to creating these jobs in the sector.
Increasing Opportunities for Saudization in Real Estate Professions
Minister Al-Rajhi added that the Ministry has contributed to creating more employment opportunities for Saudis in the real estate sector by establishing 12 sectoral councils for skills development—including the Council for Construction and Real Estate Activities—and launching the national training campaign (Wa’ad) in partnership with the private sector, under which the private sector has committed to providing 1,155,000 training opportunities for Saudis by the end of 2025, including those working in real estate development. He explained that the Ministry has introduced a number of incentives and support programs to help private-sector entities hire Saudis, including those in the real estate sector, such as on-the-job training (in-house courses at the facility) and a subsidy of 50% of the salary, up to a maximum of 3,000 riyals.
In his speech at the Future of Real Estate Forum, the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development noted that the government has 123 programs to provide support and subsidies, The largest of these programs are those related to social security beneficiaries, people with disabilities, and the Citizen Account. Support under these three programs reached more than 86 billion riyals in 2023. He emphasized that the ministry is currently working on the “Housing and Empowerment” initiative aimed at encouraging 1,000 social security beneficiary families to join empowerment programs and transition from being in need to becoming productive.
His Excellency explained that more than 1,100 companies are registered on the National Platform for Social Responsibility, and their total contributions exceeded one billion riyals within 10 months of the platform’s launch, with the housing sector receiving the most support from companies, through 21 initiatives worth over 677 million riyals, to support housing programs for the most vulnerable groups under the Ministry’s care.
Rise in Nonprofit Organizations
Minister Al-Rajhi revealed that the number of nonprofit organizations has risen from 1,440 before the Vision to 4,400; representing a growth rate of 227%, with a target to increase this number by 30% by 2024, praising the nonprofit sector’s contribution—through housing institutions and real estate associations—in supporting the most needy families, including, for example, the agreement between the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs, and Housing, real estate associations, and the Developmental Housing Authority, which resulted in securing 16,000 housing units for the most needy families as freehold properties.
Localization of Professions
