RIYADH – Saudi Arabia’s new Qiwa rules cap workers at seven job contracts per year and max 2 active jobs to curb job-hopping and boost stability, while imposing stricter work permit enforcement on expatriates.
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced strict new employment regulations placing firm limits on job mobility for workers in the Kingdom.
Under the new rules, Saudi employees will not be allowed to complete more than seven employment contracts within a single year. If a worker signs and completes seven different job contracts within a 365-day period, they will be barred from entering an eighth contract until a full year has passed from the date of their first agreement.
The system effectively caps total annual employment contracts at seven, aiming to regulate frequent job switching and stabilize workforce patterns. Authorities further clarified that even within this structure, existing labor laws still apply—meaning a Saudi employee can hold a maximum of two active jobs at any given time.
If an individual is already working in two positions and wishes to join a third employer, they must first terminate one of their existing contracts before signing a new one.
Kingdom also introduced stricter enforcement measures for expatriate workers. It stated that if a foreign worker’s work permit expires, their registration must be immediately canceled. Additionally, starting 30 June 2026, any expatriate who remains without a valid work permit for more than three months will have their registration automatically terminated, regardless of their residency (Iqama) status.
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