A number of expat workers in Saudi Arabia were surprised by profession change SMS messages.

When they got SMS messages informing them that their profession had changed, a number of expat workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s private sector were taken aback. Due to this, both employees and employers contacted the labor department to find out how things were going after receiving texts about new careers.

The Saudi Standard Classification of Occupations approved certain professions, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development updated regulations pertaining to those professions for expatriate workers in the private sector in collaboration with the Qiwa platform, the General Authority for Statistics, and the Jawazat to reflect those approvals. Saudi purchases a goat for SR 13 million to be slaughtered on Eid.

Earlier this year, the Qiwa platform compelled businesses to change the professions of a number of employees by publishing a notice to employers and sponsors on its platform that stated that a number of employees’ professions needed to be changed in accordance with the Saudi Standard Classification of Occupations manual. The eight occupations covered by the modification are doctor, expert, specialist, engineer, specialized expert, control, technician, worker, and regular worker.

A notice to employers and sponsors on the Qiwa platform earlier this year stating that a number of employees’ professions needed to be altered in compliance with the Saudi Standard Classification of Occupations manual forced businesses to modify the professions of a number of employees. Doctor, expert, specialist, engineer, specialized expert, control, technician, worker, and regular worker are the eight professions that the amendment applies to.Expatriates are not permitted to work in 18 professions, according to the Ministry of Human Resources

However, the above 8 professions fall under the “correction” category of professions and require no fee to be corrected on the iqama. Normally, a worker’s consent is necessary when altering the profession on the iqama, and its fee is 2000 riyals.

According to the Qiwa platform, future hiring would depend on a precise description of the professions being sought. The hiring of a worker in the aforementioned occupations is prohibited.