KSA Business: Saudi Arabia updates rules pertaining to absenteeism – Gulf Digital News

KSA Business: Saudi Arabia updates rules pertaining to absenteeism – Gulf Digital News

The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) has announced updates to the rules and procedures related to employees’ absence from work in private sector establishments. 

This new update includes the cancellation of reporting expats’ absenteeism from work; replacing it with an enhanced mechanism that aims to preserve the rights of workers and employers and increase the attractiveness of the Saudi labour market.

The new update allows employers to submit their requests to terminate the contractual relationship with an expatriate due to un-reported absenteeism, whereby the worker’s data would automatically be removed from the establishment’s records and his/her status would become “discontinued from work". In this case, the employer would not bear responsibility towards the worker, and the worker may transfer to another employer, or issue a final exit from the kingdom within (60) days. In case neither measure is taken after (60) days, his/her status would become “Absent from Work” in the Ministry’s - and all relevant - systems/ records.

Employee transfer

HRSD has clarified that expat workers with current reports of absence, prior to the announcement, can still transfer to a new employer provided their status is “absent from work”; and late work-permit fees