RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Jan 26, 2026 (GDM) — Hiring across Saudi Arabia accelerated sharply in 2025, with job creation expanding across regions, sectors and company sizes, according to a new report released as the Global Labour Market Conference opened in Riyadh on Sunday.
Jisr’s Annual State of Hiring Report 2025–2026, based on hiring data from thousands of Saudi companies, showed average monthly hiring rose 51.5 percent year on year. January 2025 recorded a 154.5 percent increase in new hires compared with the same month a year earlier.
While seasonal slowdowns around Ramadan and Eid continued, the report said the overall hiring trend remained firmly upward.
The data also pointed to a more geographically balanced labour market. Riyadh retained the largest share of new hiring, but the Eastern Province posted the fastest growth at 156 percent, followed by Makkah at 118 percent, indicating expanding employment opportunities beyond the capital.
Mid-sized companies emerged as the main drivers of job creation. Firms employing between 21 and 500 people accounted for the largest share of new hires, outpacing both large enterprises and early-stage startups.
The report highlighted continued progress in Saudization, with Saudi nationals accounting for 41 percent of new hires. More than half of surveyed companies increased their reliance on local talent, while 45.1 percent reported a decline in foreign workforce numbers.
“Saudi Arabia’s labour market is not just growing — it’s maturing,” said Mohammed Akkar, founder and chief executive of Jisr. “Real hiring data shows how economic expansion, regulation and workforce reforms are reshaping employment across the Kingdom.”
Saudi Arabia has placed workforce localisation and private-sector job creation at the centre of its Vision 2030 economic transformation agenda.
