Saudization by profession in 2026: the quotas for sales, procurement, admin roles and gyms in one table

Saudi Arabia sets Saudization rates profession by profession, and four groups of 2026 decisions matter most: 60% for marketing and sales, 70% for procurement, 100% for 69 administrative support professions and 15% for sports centers and gyms. Each has its own start date and minimum headcount. This table gathers them, read from the ministry's pages on 7 November 2026.

The four groups in one table

Titles the ministry names: Marketing Manager, Sales Manager and Sales Representative; Procurement Manager, Contracts Manager, Warehouse Keeper and Tender Specialist; sports coach and professional football coach. The ministry's procedural guides list every profession, the calculation method and the penalties. Read them before you act; this post is a map, not the rule.

What changed and what did not

• Marketing and sales: raised to 60% from 19 April 2026.
• Procurement: raised to 70% from 31 May 2026.
• Administrative support: 69 more professions joined the 100% list, effective 5 April 2026, a date earlier than the announcement itself.
• Gyms: announced in December 2025, in force from 18 November 2026, so there is still time to plan.

The marketing and sales page says the increase follows the end of a grace period granted to private sector establishments, and the procurement page says penalties apply after the end of the specified grace period. The administrative support and gyms pages name none. Length and terms are in the ministry's procedural guides, so check them for your group.

A worked example (ours)

An agency has 10 employees with a marketing title. At 60%, the quota is 6 Saudi employees in those roles, and, reading the page as written, each must earn at least SAR 5,500 to count. If 4 are Saudi and one of the 4 earns SAR 5,000, only 3 count, so 3 more are needed. How the ministry rounds fractions is in its procedural guide: check it before you plan hires.

Which job titles count

The ministry's pages name professions by job title. They give examples only, such as Sales Manager or Tender Specialist, and point to procedural guides for the full lists. Our reading, to confirm in the guide:

• A "Business Development Executive" may or may not be on the marketing and sales list. Check the list, not the job description.
• The minimum headcount counts workers in the covered titles, not all staff. A company of 40 people with two covered sales titles is below the 3-worker line for that group.
• One person holds one title. Do not count the same employee in two groups to reach two minimums.

Common planning mistakes

1. Applying 60% to the whole company instead of to the covered titles.
2. Counting a Saudi marketing employee who earns below SAR 5,500.
3. Treating the gym date as already passed: it starts on 18 November 2026.
4. Relying on a news summary rather than the ministry's page and guide.

Steps for an HR manager

1. List every employee by job title, not department. A "Sales Coordinator" in finance may still hold a covered title.
2. Mark the titles on each ministry list and count workers per group against the minimum headcount.
3. Apply the rate and, for marketing roles, the SAR 5,500 rule (check the guide for sales titles).
4. Check the company-wide Nitaqat band separately.
5. Record the date you reviewed each decision and the source.

How Tarleaks helps

Tarleaks HR keeps each employee's position title, department and nationality, and shows your company-wide Saudization ratio and band with a what-if simulator for planned Saudi hires. It does not calculate the per-profession rates above, check salary thresholds per profession or know which titles each decision covers: that mapping stays with your team.

What to do next

• Read how the Nitaqat bands work.
• See the Saudi payroll checklist for Mudad, GOSI and Qiwa.
• Compare with the UAE Emiratisation targets.
• Book a demo to see headcount by nationality with sample data.

Questions people ask

What is the Saudization rate for marketing and sales jobs in 2026?

60% for marketing and sales professions in the private sector, effective 19 April 2026, for establishments employing three or more workers in these professions. For marketing roles the ministry page counts a Saudi employee only at a salary of at least SAR 5,500; check the procedural guide for sales titles.

Do the new rates apply to a company with one or two employees?

It depends on the decision. Marketing and sales and procurement apply from three workers in the covered professions, gyms from four, and the 69 administrative support professions from one worker. Count only the covered titles, not the whole company.

When do the gym quotas start?

On 18 November 2026 (8 Jumada al-Thani 1448 AH), at 15% for 12 professions in men's and women's sports centers and gyms, for establishments with four or more workers.

Is this the same as the Nitaqat band?

No. Nitaqat is one company-wide ratio and band. The quotas in this post are separate rates for named professions. Both can matter to the same company, so check each decision and the ministry's procedural guides.

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General information, not legal advice. Checked against the ministry pages listed on this page on 7 November 2026. Confirm every rate and date with the ministry and your advisers.