First Quarter Report 2019
Employment support programmes
These programmes and services are aimed at increasing the employment opportunities of individuals to match the needs of the labour market, increasing Saudisation, and supporting their continuation on the job.
Upskilling programme
The programme was launched in January 2019. It aims to support the employment of researchers and job seekers in the private sector and raise their skills and they are at the top of the work in qualitative and quantitative employment. The Fund provides support with a subsidy of 30% of the salary for the first year. The percentage is reduced to 20% for the second year and 10% for the third year. The minimum wage for the subsidy is SAR 4,000 and the maximum wage is SAR 10,000. The support offered is 70% for employment and 30% for training. The establishment is entitled to additional support in the following cases (Female employment, employment of persons with disabilities, employment in small villages and towns, employment in small and medium enterprises, and employment in critical occupations).
106 beneficiaries in 2019 Q1
The National Job-Seeker Support Programme (Hafiz)
This programme supports job seekers to find appropriate and sustainable jobs and provide them with the necessary skills and resources in order to join the labour market. It consists of the Hafiz Searching for employment programme and the Hafiz Difficulty finding employment programme. Each programme targets a certain segment of job seekers according to certain eligibility requirements for receiving benefits. The National Job-Seeker Support Programme (Hafiz) consists of:
Hafiz Searching for employment programme
The Hafiz searching for employment programme provides a monthly financial assistance of up to SAR 2,000, targeting young job seekers between 20-35 years who fulfil the subsidy eligibility requirements. The total beneficiaries of the programme are:
181,254 beneficiaries in 2019 Q1
Hafiz Difficulty in finding employment programme
The Hafiz Difficulty finding employment programme provides financial assistance reaching up to SAR 1,500 for the first fourth months, SAR 1,250 for the next fourth months, and SAR 1,000 for the last fourth months. It targets job-seekers who are over 35 years or those who completed the Hafiz Searching for employment programme without being able to find an appropriate job. The total beneficiaries of the programme are:
161,258 beneficiaries in 2019 Q1
Hafiz programme
32,321 employed through the programme in 2019 Q1
Full-time subsidy programme
This programme aims to support the increase of Saudisation levels in private sector establishments by contributing 20% of new female employees’ monthly salary calculated according to Saudisation growth and 5% of new male employees’ monthly salary calculated according to Saudisation growth. The total beneficiaries of the programme are:
19,899 beneficiaries in 2019 Q1
Part-time subsidy programme
This programme aims at supporting the growth of Saudisation in private sector establishments and activating the mechanism of part-time employment. HRDF contributes SAR 300 to private sector companies as a percentage of the 1,500 social insurance of new employees. This subsidy is credited directly to the account of the General Organisation for Social Insurance on a monthly basis. The total beneficiaries of the programme are:
625 beneficiaries in 2019 Q1
Freelance subsidy programme
The freelance subsidy programme provided by the Human Resources Development Fund aims to provide social protection to the self-employed and to promote self-employment as a non-traditional method in support of Saudisation. The total beneficiaries of the programme are:
311 beneficiaries in 2019 Q1
Tele-work programme
Tele-work programme is a nation-wide initiative by the HRDF in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Development. This programme is aimed at providing Saudi national job seekers with physical difficulties to connect with employers. Job seekers who encounter difficulties in transportation, inconveniences in the workplace, or those focusing on childcare can utilise this programme to remotely connect with employers through a virtual workplace. The programme stopped taking support applications in October 2017. The total beneficiaries of the programme are:
91 beneficiaries in 2019 Q1
Direct employment subsidy programme
This programme aims at recruiting job seekers in private sector establishments who wish to employ male and female job seekers by providing salary up to 50% and not exceeding SAR 2,000 per month for the period of support (24 months). The number of beneficiaries of the programme are:
6,656 beneficiaries in 2019 Q1
Additional wage support programme
This programme aims to stimulate enterprises to enable Saudi job seekers to join the opportunities available in the private sector. The programme offers financial support for recruitment of Saudi nationals in facilities classified in the platinum and green ranges of Nitaqat programme. A business entity can enrol a maximum of 20% (in the platinum range) and 15% (in the green range) of its Saudi employees in the additional support programme provided that the beneficiaries are qualified according to the eligibility requirements of a candidate. A total of 9,712 candidates benefitted from the programme. The programme stopped taking support applications in October 2017. The total beneficiaries of the programme are:
9,706 beneficiaries in 2019 Q1
Tawafuq Employment of persons
with disabilities programme
This programme supports and enables job seekers with disabilities to be
employed in the private sector. The core principles of the programme are right to equal opportunity, inclusion, skills, disability confidence, and services. The total beneficiaries of the programme are:
575 beneficiaries in 2019 Q1
Subsidising the wage of dialysis days
The programme aims to stimulate private sector enterprises to employ patients with renal failure and continue their work in order to achieve job stability. The Fund compensates private sector establishments for the days of leave taken by employees to perform dialysis for blood purification. The total beneficiaries of the programme are:
33 beneficiaries in 2019 Q1
Teachers’ subsidy programme in private schools
This programme is aimed at improving the working conditions and to increase the functional ability of teachers in private and foreign schools. HRDF supports this programme through financial means by fulfilling the minimum wage requirement of SAR 5,000 and a transportation allowance of SAR 600. The programme stopped taking support applications in September 2017. The total beneficiaries of the programme are:
21,180 beneficiaries in 2019 Q1
Women’s work support programmes (feminisation of shops and feminisation of factories programme)
The objective of this programme is to increase the opportunities for women to work in private sector establishments in line with their qualifications as per the needs of the labour market and according to the women employment regulation decisions issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development through a unified recruitment and training support mechanism for up to three years in accordance with the specified controls. The programme stopped taking support applications in October 2017. The total beneficiaries of the programme are:
3,219 beneficiaries of feminisation of shops in 2019 Q1
1,895 beneficiaries of feminisation of factories in 2019 Q1
Small enterprise owners’ support programme
This programmes is aimed at supporting and encouraging Saudi nationals who operate small businesses. Through the programme, financial support is provided for the management of these small businesses. The number of beneficiaries in 2019 reached 2,168. The programme stopped taking support applications in the end of 2018. The total beneficiaries of the programme are:
2,168 beneficiaries in 2019 Q1
