Article 43 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 43 من نظام العمل · الباب الرابع: التدريب والتأهيل
Article 43 requires an employer to qualify or train, for its work, the Saudi workers who complete their studies at its expense, subject to the terms of franchise agreements, and refers the details to the Regulations.
Official text after amendments (Arabic)
Compiled from the original text and every officially published amendment; the amendments are shown in full below for comparison.
دون إخلال بما تنص عليه اتفاقيات الامتياز وغيرها من الاتفاقيات من شروط وقواعد خاصة بالتدريب والتأهيل ورفع المهارات؛ على كل صاحب عمل أن يؤهل أو يدرب على أعماله من عماله السعوديين الذين يكملون دراساتهم إذا كان صاحب العمل يتحمل تكاليف الدراسة. وتحدد اللائحة المعايير والأحكام العامة المتصلة بذلك.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 43 explained in plain English
Article 43 falls within Part Four of the Labor Law on training and qualification, and places a specific obligation on every employer toward a particular category of its Saudi workers, namely those who complete their studies while the employer bears the costs of those studies.
The substance of the obligation is that the employer qualifies these workers or trains them for its work, that is, for the actual nature of the work in the establishment. The practical idea is that whoever invests in the education of their Saudi worker does not stop at funding the studies, but links them to professional qualification within the establishment that raises the worker's skill and benefits both sides.
The article requires two elements together for the obligation to arise:
- The worker is Saudi and is completing their studies.
- The employer is the one who bears the costs of the studies.
The article begins with the phrase "without prejudice to what franchise agreements and other agreements provide", which means that this obligation is the limit imposed by the Law, so if a franchise agreement or another agreement contains special conditions and rules on training, qualification and raising skills, those conditions remain in force and the employer is bound by them as well.
The article does not itself specify the mechanism of qualification, its duration or its details, but provides that the Regulations set the standards and general provisions relating to it, so they are the place to look for the implementation details.
The article is linked to those around it: Article 42 requires the employer to set a general policy for training and qualifying its Saudi workers, and Article 44 states what any training program must contain in terms of skill, duration, hours, theoretical and practical programs, testing method and certificates. Article 43 adds a specific obligation concerning the Saudi worker studying at the employer's expense.
The article was amended by Royal Decree No. M/46 dated 5/6/1436 AH, and then by Royal Decree No. M/44 dated 8/2/1446 AH, which applies from 20/8/1446 AH, and the text shown above is the version in force after this amendment. If a dispute arises over the application of the article or over the terms of a training agreement, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specialized in labor cases.
Practical example
Noura is a Saudi employee at an industrial company in Dammam, and is studying in an evening diploma program whose tuition fees the company pays in full. Under Article 43, the company's role is not limited to paying the fees; it must qualify Noura or train her for its actual work, so that what she studies is connected with what she does in the establishment. In preparing the training program, the company is bound by what Article 44 requires in terms of stating the skill, duration, hours and testing method, and by the general standards set by the Regulations. If the company were a party to a franchise agreement containing additional training conditions, it would have to comply with those conditions as well.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 43 of the Saudi Labor Law
Which workers does Article 43 of the Labor Law cover?
The article covers Saudi workers who complete their studies while the employer bears the costs of those studies, so the employer is obliged to qualify them or train them for its work.
Is the employer obliged to train if the worker pays the costs of their own studies?
The text ties the obligation in Article 43 to the employer bearing the costs of the studies, although the employer remains bound by the general obligation in Article 42 to set a policy for training and qualifying its Saudi workers.
What is the relationship between franchise agreements and Article 43?
The article provides that the employer's obligation to train does not prejudice the conditions and rules on training, qualification and raising skills contained in franchise agreements and other agreements, so those conditions remain applicable.
Where are the details of applying Article 43 found?
The article refers to the Regulations to set the standards and general provisions relating to qualifying and training these workers, and Article 44 sets out the elements a training program must contain.
Amendment history
Royal Decree No. M/46 — 5/6/1436 AH
Official amendment text (Arabic)
تم تعديل هذه المادة بموجب المرسوم الملكي رقم ( م/ 46) وتاريخ 5 / 6 / 1436 هـ ؛ لتكون بالنص الآتي :
"مع عدم الإخلال بما تنص عليه اتفاقيات الامتياز وغيرها من الاتفاقيات من شروط وقواعد خاصة بالتدريب والتأهيل؛ على كل صاحب عمل يشغّل خمسين عاملاً فأكثر أن يؤهل أو يدرب على أعماله من عماله السعوديين ما لا يقل عن (12%) من مجموع عماله سنوياً، ويدخل ضمن هذه النسبة العمال السعوديون الذين يكملون دراساتهم إذا كان صاحب العمل يتحمل تكاليف الدراسة. وللوزير أن يرفع هذه النسبة في بعض المنشآت التي يحددها بقرار منه".
Royal Decree No. M/44 — 8/2/1446 AH
In effect from 20/8/1446 AH
Official amendment text (Arabic)
- صدر المرسوم الملكي رقم (م/44) وتاريخ 1446/2/8هـ، وذلك بالموافقة على تعديلات بعض مواد نظام العمل (ويعمل بها من تاريخ 1446/8/20هـ)
وعدلت هذه المادة لتكون بالنص الآتي: "دون إخلال بما تنص عليه اتفاقيات الامتياز وغيرها من الاتفاقيات من شروط وقواعد خاصة بالتدريب والتأهيل ورفع المهارات؛ على كل صاحب عمل أن يؤهل أو يدرب على أعماله من عماله السعوديين الذين يكملون دراساتهم إذا كان صاحب العمل يتحمل تكاليف الدراسة. وتحدد اللائحة المعايير والأحكام العامة المتصلة بذلك".
Original text before the amendments (Arabic)
مع عدم الإخلال بما تنص عليه اتفاقيات الامتياز وغيرها من الاتفاقيات من شروط وقواعد خاصة بالتدريب والتأهيل والتعليم والابتعاث، على كل صاحب عمل يشغّل خمسين عاملًا فأكثر أن يدرب على أعماله من عماله السعوديين ما لا يقل عن 6% من مجموع عماله سنويًّا. وللوزير أن يرفع هذه النسبة في بعض المنشآت التي يحددها بقرار منه.
More articles on Training and Qualification
- Article 5Amended (1436 AH)
Article 5 sets the scope of the Labor Law: every paid employment contract under an employer's management, government and public-body workers, charity workers, training contracts, and part-time workers within set limits.
تسري أحكام هذا النظام على الآتي : 1 - كل عقد عمل يلتزم بمقتضاه أي شخص بالعمل لمصلحة صاحب عمل وتحت إدارته أو إشرافه؛ مقابل أجر. 2 - عمال الحكومة والهيئات والمؤسس
- Article 22Amended by M/44
Article 22 requires the Ministry to provide free employment channels that connect workers and employers, collect labor market data, register job seekers and guide them toward suitable training.
توفر الوزارة قنوات للتوظيف دون مقابل، تقوم بما يأتي: 1 - مساعدة العمال في الحصول على الأعمال المناسبة، ومساعدة أصحاب الأعمال في إيجاد العمال المناسبين. 2 - جمع
- Article 26
Article 26 requires every establishment, whatever its size or activity, to attract, hire and train Saudis, with Saudis making up at least 75% of workers, which the Minister may temporarily reduce.
1- على جميع المنشآت في مختلف أنشطتها، وأيًّا كان عدد العاملين فيها، العمل على استقطاب السعوديين وتوظيفهم، وتوفير وسائل استمرارهم في العمل، وإتاحة الفرصة المناسب
- Article 41
Article 41 refers to the Regulations the conditions for recruiting non-Saudi labor, transferring its services and changing its profession, and the related controls and procedures.
تحدد اللائحة شروط الاستقدام، ونقل الخدمات، وتغيير المهنة، وضوابط ذلك وإجراءاته.
- Article 42Amended by M/44
Article 42 requires every employer to set a policy for training and qualifying its Saudi workers to raise their skills in technical, administrative and professional work, and leaves the detailed provisions to the Implementing Regulations.
على كل صاحب عمل وضع سياسة لتدريب عماله السعوديين وتأهيلهم، من أجل رفع مهاراتهم وتحسين مستواهم في الأعمال الفنية والإدارية والمهنية وغيرها. وتحدد اللائحة الأحكام
- Article 44Amended by M/44
Article 44 requires a training program to state the target skill, its rules, duration, hours, theoretical and practical programs, testing method and certificates, and refers the detailed standards to the Regulations.
يجب أن يشتمل برنامج التدريب على المهارة التي يتدرب العامل عليها والقواعد والشروط التي تتبع في التدريب، وعلى مدته وعدد ساعاته والبرامج التدريبية النظرية والعملية
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.