Jobs in Saudi Arabia

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Job Opportunities in Saudi Arabia

Of all the countries, Saudi Arabia deserves a special mention because the country has witnessed phenomenal growth in the last few years. The oil reserves of the country make it a rich nation. Now, it is seeing growth in all other sectors as well. With the diversification and growth in various sectors, the demand for skilled manpower has also grown in various sectors in the country. Since the locals cannot suffice to fill all positions for all kinds of skills, the foreign workforce is welcomed into the country. There are ample jobs in Saudi Arabia such as oil and gas jobs, construction jobs, petrochemical jobs, IT jobs, education jobs, hospitality v, and automobile jobs. Also, the multi-billion dollar King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), coming up at Rabigh, near Jeddah, has become the main driving factor for jobs in the gulf region.

Though there is a drive to hire Saudi nationals first, the foreign workforce is equally welcome in the country. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, there are certain skills that are not developed in the locals and they cannot fill posts requiring those skills. Thus, skilled and trained manpower is required to fill posts requiring specific skill sets. Secondly, for a few posts, the expatriate workforce can be hired cheaper than the locals. One reason why Indians are so welcomed in Saudi Arabia is that qualified and trained Indians can be hired at salaries much lower than those in the West. Also, there is an advantage for jobseekers who knows Arabic and are versed with the culture of the place. There are many jobs that require essential knowledge of Arabic besides English. Some expatriates also take up lessons in basic Arabic after joining a job in Saudi Arabia.

Talking about sectors, oil and gas has been the mainstay of the economy in Saudi Arabia for years. Other than that, there has been huge development in the real estate industry. This sector is going by leaps and bounds. There are many international investor firms that are pumping in money in the real estate sector in Saudi Arabia. Consequently, the sector has grown and the real estate jobs in Saudi Arabia have also increased. Since the population in the region is growing very fast, the demand for residential complexes has also grown. Also, the need for office and commercial space has also increased. Seizing the opportunity, many real estate companies are working in the region building residential complexes, offices and commercial spaces. Thus, there is need for civil engineers, architects, skilled electricians and plumbers and construction workers. Most of these are foreign workforce that is hired on a contractual basis.

Coming to the hospitality sector, Saudi Arabia witnesses a lot of religious tourism. It is the main religious hub of Islam. There is a need of hotels and appropriate accommodation to cater to these tourists. With the expansion of the economy, business travel to the Kingdom has also increased. Keeping in view these points, the hotel industry and the aviation industry has also seen a boom in Saudi Arabia. Qualified hotel staff and aviation staff are hired for various positions. Thus, professionals in the hospitality industry stand a good chance of getting hired in Saudi Arabia for various roles.

The other sectors in Saudi Arabia that hire foreign workforce include the automobile sector and the oil and gas sector. These sectors have ample job opportunities for trained foreign workforce. The banking and IT industries also hire foreign nationals with the right qualifications and skill sets. Hence, for those aspiring to high-paying jobs in the Gulf, Saudi Arabia is an attractive career destination. It really helps if you go with a reference and are recommended by somebody. To apply to jobs in Saudi Arabia, you can look for vacancies in the newspapers, job portals through recruitment agencies. When you take up a job offer in Saudi Arabia, it would be advisable to research the culture in the country and the company credentials beforehand. The culture in the country is a little conservative and it might take a while adjusting to the lifestyle. However, the high salaries offered with the jobs are the main attraction that pull expatriates in large numbers to the country.