....was published in the official gazette on 24th April 2015 and heralds the most significant change in the regulation of employment relations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“KSA”) since the advent of the Labour Law itself.  

The amendments are wide ranging and taken together with the reforms to the judicial system that will see the establishment of new labour courts (to be opened in 2017) and the MOL's joint undertaking with the Ministry of Justice to consolidate the decisions of the labour commissions into ‘judicial codes', these changes represent the beginnings of a paradigm shift in the management of employment relations in the Kingdom.  

The Key Amendments 

The amendments, conceived in paith the intentiort wn of bridging the gap between employment in the public and private sectors and in part to align the statutory regime with current work practices, are a mixed bag for employers and employees.