The Qiwa platform, under the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD), has canceled the requirement to obtain consent from the foreign worker before changing profession in their iqama (residence permit).
The platform now includes eight professions that were recently added. There are doctors, experts, specialists, engineers, monitoring technicians, workers, and ordinary workers.
A worker's approval is typically required when changing his profession, in exchange for an amount of SR2,000, except for the eight professions in which the change is considered a 'correction' of the profession. The correction of these professions will be allowed only once without charge.
Any future recruitment must include an accurate description of the professions to be recruited. It will not be permitted to hire workers in the previously mentioned professions. Change of profession is restricted to the Qiwa platform, which is exclusively for establishment workers, and not for individuals.
A company/employer is required to detail the specialization of the doctor, specialist, engineer, specialized expert, and monitoring technician. 67 alternative professions will be available for each of the worker and ordinary worker professions.
Workers in gas stations, food and beverage counters, personal care, concrete, vehicle paint, paint industries, cleaning roofs of buildings, cranes, leather crafts, printing and binding, maintenance of electrical appliances, installation of communications and information technology lines, preserving fruits and vegetables, embroidery, pest control, mining, and furniture assembly were among them.
Also included were workers in plastic and metal products assembly, paperboard assembly, hotel management, cleaning offices and facilities, unique professions, car parking, laundry, ironing, washing carpets and rugs, cleaning vehicles, cleaning water tanks, sewage, farm animals, poultry and birds farm, mobile vehicle washing, street cleaning, garden cleaning, stables, egg hatching, agricultural and animal production farms.
Workers of green spaces, nurseries, forests, pastures, forest fire fighting, fish farms, fishing, mines, quarries, constructions, road maintenance, asphalting, digging, cemeteries, building, concrete mixing, demolition, packaging, labels, manufacturing, product sorting, workshops, wheelbarrow work, bicycle transport, animal cart driving, loading and unloading, packing shelves, warehouse, cleaning kitchen utensils, and kitchen work are included in the list.
MHRSD announced in March last year that expatriate workers in the private sector can access and update their employment contracts through its Qiwa platform. Qiwa is encouraging business owners to use its service, which will streamline the hiring process, attract top talent, and reduce labor disputes.
Qiwa offers more than 85 services. Expatriate workers can move from one employer to another at the end of their current contract without their current employer's approval, which is one of its clear advantages.
As of May 12 this year, all employee work contracts will be approved and documented on the Qiwa platform only, the ministry confirmed. To date, MHRSD has transferred all the documented contracts of the employees to the Qiwa platform, working in cooperation with the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI).
