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Saudi Arabia’s job market is largely shaped by the push for “Saudization”, a colloquial term for a movement that is officially called “nationalisation”. Part of this push is a set of regulations called Nitaqat, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, and requires organisations operating in Saudi Arabia to maintain certain percentages of Saudi nationals in their workforce. The levels depend on the sector and the size of the company – and the percentages go up in phases over time. Sometimes the mandates require companies to ultimately achieve a workforce composed only of Saudi nationals. Companies that fail to meet the requirements at any phase will not be allowed to renew work permits for their foreign employees, and will not be able to open new facilities. Nitaqat is part of the effort to fight unemployment and underemployment of Saudi nationals. According to Hanaa Almoeibed, research fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, 58% of the workforce is non-Saudi....