Expatriates can change jobs independently in Saudi

News Desk: The Saudi Arabian government has introduced a historic reform of labor law. As a result, expatriate workers working in the private sector in the country will now be able to improve their work dynamics, change institutions as they wish and leave the country without the permission of their employers. The new law went into effect on Sunday (March 14th).

Arab News reports that changes have been made to the kafala system for hiring foreign workers as part of the Saudi government's efforts to build an attractive job market. The new law will also allow expatriate workers to apply for government jobs directly. The Saudi government's Labor Reform Initiative (LRI) is expected to benefit at least 10 million expatriate workers in the country and create a competitive and fair work environment.

Meanwhile, expatriate workers have welcomed the Saudi government's initiative. They see it as a greater opportunity for employment. Imroz Abdul Rahman, an Indian national who has lived in the country for the past five years, said it was the best achievement since coming to Saudi Arabia.

He said the process was quite complicated and arduous when he left the old company four years ago and joined a new company. It took about a month to resolve the issue, said Abdul Ghani Al-Ansari, chairman of Saudi Arabia's information technology company Bayat al-Idarah.