Saudi Arabia Manpower Outsourcing Market

The Saudi Arabia manpower outsourcing market size was valued at US$ 3.80 million in 2023 and is expected to reach US$ 8.82 million by 2031; it is estimated to record a CAGR of 11.1% from 2023 to 2031.

Expanding Healthcare and IT Industries to Favor Market Growth

Saudi Arabia is one of the prime economies among the Middle East countries and has a huge labor force, which is growing at a decent pace. The country houses a number of industrial sectors ranging from manufacturing, information technology, healthcare, and educational institutions, among others. The country’s hospitality industry continues to experience substantial growth. As part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, the country is focusing on developing a sustainable healthcare workforce to meet the needs of its growing population. The country aims to recruit 175,000 healthcare professionals by 2030, including 69,000 doctors; 64,000 nurses; and 42,000 allied health workers. Currently, in 2023, the number of expatriates in the healthcare sector totals 232,000. It includes physicians (~60%), nurses (57%), professional support staff (19%), and pharmacists (61%) in the country. 

The market for information and communications technology (ICT) in Saudi Arabia is the largest and fastest-growing market worldwide. Saudi Arabia's 2023 ICT Strategy aims to generate over 25,000 jobs in the sector, expand the IT market and emerging technologies by 50%, and boost the sector's contribution to the country’s GDP by US$ 13.3 billion. The strategy also focuses on attracting foreign investment and enhancing female participation in the ICT industry. Therefore, the expansion of the healthcare and IT industries fuels the Saudi Arabia manpower outsourcing market growth.

The Saudi government's Saudization (Nitaqat) program continues to shape the outsourcing landscape, implementing strict quotas and regulations to balance local employment needs with strategic workforce requirements. Saudization is a policy based on a quota system implemented by the government to ensure Saudi nationals fill more jobs as well as to reduce unemployment, improve the living standards of citizens, and expand human capital. The initiative aims to reduce the Saudi unemployment rate, as companies are required to maintain specific percentages of Saudi nationals in private companies in their workforce, which has created growth opportunities for manpower outsourcing. For instance, according to Saudi Arabia's Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, as of November 2023, more than 167,000 Saudis entered the labor market within the past 12 months through the updated Nitaqat program, bringing the total Saudis who were employed via the program to 480,000. Further, between 2021 and 2023, Saudis in engineering, accounting, and marketing jobs rose from 40,000 to 70,000; 39,000 to 107,000; and 35,000 to 104,000; respectively

The report includes the Saudi Arabia manpower outsourcing market forecast by type, and industry. On the basis of industry, the Saudi Arabia manpower outsourcing market is segmented into oil, gas and petrochemical, construction, IT and telecom, retail, healthcare, real estate, education, tourism, agriculture and others. The oil, gas and petrochemical segment held the largest Saudi Arabia manpower outsourcing market share. In March 2024, Saudi Arabia held ~17% of the world's proven petroleum reserves, making it one of the largest net exporters of oil, according to the International Trade Administration (ITA). It has the second-largest proven oil reserves worldwide. Saudi Aramco, one of the world's largest integrated energy and chemicals companies, operates across all segments of the oil industry, including upstream, midstream, and downstream. The oil, gas, and petrochemical sectors demand highly specialized skills that are often not readily available in local labor markets. These industries require professionals in various fields, such as geophysics, drilling engineering, chemical engineering, health and safety, and petrochemical processing. Outsourcing allows companies to access highly qualified professionals from global talent pools, ensuring that they have the expertise required to meet the technical and operational demands of their projects.

Ajeets Management and HR Consultancy, ADAM RECRUITMENT, PROVEN SA, TASC OUTSOURCING, Knowledge Group, Serco Group plc, NES Fircroft, Esad for Human Resources Solutions and Management, Tamkeen Talents, JawaHR, Maharah, SMASCO Manpower Saudi Arabia, Yaqoot Manpower Services, and First National Company (FNRCO)are among the key Saudi Arabia manpower outsourcing market players that are profiled in this market study.

The overall Saudi Arabia manpower outsourcing market size has been derived using both primary and secondary sources. Exhaustive secondary research has been conducted using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the Saudi Arabia manpower outsourcing market size. The process also helps obtain an overview and forecast of the market with respect to all the market segments. Also, multiple primary interviews have been conducted with industry participants to validate the data and gain analytical insights. This process includes industry experts such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, along with external consultants such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders, specializing in the Saudi Arabia manpower outsourcing market.