Saudi Arabia's decision to localize careers in grocery stores and supermarkets entered its second phase on Monday.

The purpose of this phase is to reduce the number of foreign staff in sales by half in the roles of department manager, deputy branch manager, and branch manager.

The procedural guide for localizing jobs at grocery chains and supermarkets specifies that the second phase begins after a grace period of 360 days following publication of the decision on Safar 25, 1442 AH (Oct. 12, 2020).

Retail chains with an area of less than 300 square meters, as well as supermarkets with an area of less than 500 square meters, are included in the decision.

In the first phase, only 50% of department supervisors were localized (customer accountants, accounting fund supervisors, and customer service).

Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) announced the localization of 20 professions and activities, as well as the creation of nearly 378,000 employment positions as of 2021.

HRSD made these decisions to provide Saudi males and females in various parts of the Kingdom stimulating and productive job opportunities, as well as to enhance their involvement in the labor market in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030.