Saudi Arabia Outsourced Jobs Localization Plan Takes Shape 

Saudi Arabia is studying ways to bring private-sector jobs currently outsourced to overseas service providers back to companies operating within the Kingdom, as authorities look to strengthen local capabilities and create more employment opportunities. 

The Saudi Arabia outsourced jobs localization plan is being examined by the Federation of Saudi Chambers, Secretary-General Sultan Al-Musallam said during an interview with Asharq Business, with Bloomberg, on the sidelines of the AIM Congress in Dubai. 

The outsourcing activities under review include information technology, call centers, shared services, accounting, human resources, data analysis, operations and maintenance, and consultancy. Bringing these services back to local providers could create jobs, transfer knowledge and technology, and strengthen the Kingdom’s operational independence. 

Saudi Arabia spent about SR8 billion ($2.13 billion) importing professional and management consulting services during the first quarter of 2026, according to international trade-in-services data from the General Authority for Statistics. The figure illustrates the scale of services that could potentially be developed within the domestic market. 

Saudi Arabia’s outsourced jobs localization plan is also looking at why companies keep using providers. Reasons include costs, good service quality, access to special expertise, and faster implementation. The study is checking if companies will move these tasks to providers in the next 12 to 24 months. 

The initiative comes alongside a broader push to increase Saudi local content. In April, the Local Content and Government Procurement Authority introduced a local-content weighting mechanism for the financial evaluation of administrative consultancy and information technology tenders. 

Under the policy, administrative consultancy tenders worth SR10 million or more will require at least 30% local content from April 2027. The threshold will fall to SR5 million from January 2028. 

The Saudi Arabia outsourced jobs localization plan aligns with the Kingdom’s goal of raising the private sector’s contribution to GDP to 65% by 2030. Al-Musallam said that the contribution has already reached approximately 52%. 

For Saudi businesses, outsourcing localization in Saudi Arabia could expand demand for domestic service providers while creating opportunities for skills development and technology transfer.