Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia issued a new law, comprising 33 articles, for domestic workers on 2 October 2023, which will come into effect a (Hijri) year from its issuance on 21 September 2024. Key reforms include an explicit ban on passport confiscation, the establishment of maximum working hours, and the introduction of occupational safety and health regulations for the first time. The new law introduces a new section that outlines specific situations in which domestic workers have the right to terminate their contract while still preserving their entitlements.

Paves way for resumption of hiring domestic workers after a gap of 11 years.

The first component of these reforms is that employees are now, subject to conditions, able to transfer their employment in-country. Secondly, employees are now able to apply for and obtain exit/re-entry permits and the final exit permit by themselves without permission from their employers.

Saudi Arabia signed a second agreement with the Philippines in 2017 on cooperation regarding labour migration and the recruitment and employment of workers from the Philippines to Saudi Arabia.

The Council of Cooperative Health Insurance (CCHI) rolled out its plan for unified health insurance that require private businesses to extend health insurance coverage to all employees and their families, including migrant workers, in several phases.

Decision No. 497 imposes a fee for temporary and seasonal visas and for the extension of residency permits for those types of work. The decree also establishes enforcement mechanisms and lists penalties for violators.

The Council of Ministers approved 38 amendments to the Saudi Arabia Labour Law which included prohibiting confiscation of migrant workers' passports and introducing or raising fines for employers who violate regulations such as failing to pay salaries on time.

Saudi Arabia signed an labour cooperation agreement with India regarding recruitment of Indian domestic workers in Saudi Arabia.

Ministerial order No. 1/1935 increases the wages of migrants working in specific jobs in the public sector by providing them with a 15 per cent stipend for a living allowance.