Where the demand for workers in Riyadh is concentrated
Riyadh is the capital of finance and business and the home of head offices, so demand there is spread across many sectors at once, and each sector has its own rhythm:
- Construction and infrastructure projects: commercial and residential buildings, roads and utilities, which need teams that change with the phases of the project, from equipment operators in excavation to painters and tilers in finishing.
- Facilities and building management: towers, compounds, hospitals and schools that need cleaning, maintenance and air conditioning all year round, with increases in summer and when new facilities open.
- Warehouses and distribution centers: on the edges of the city there are warehouse zones for retail and e-commerce, and demand there rises before the seasons and the sales.
- Exhibitions, conferences and events: setting up and dismantling, temporary electrics, hospitality and cleaning for days or weeks, including the events of Riyadh Season.
- Restaurants and hospitality: cooks, assistant cooks, waiters and packers, with their peak in Ramadan and the Eid holidays.
This variety makes monthly leasing useful for both sides within the same city: a company whose project has ended in north Riyadh has workers, while a company in the south of the city is starting a new project.
Riyadh’s professions and their guides
Each of these professions has its own Riyadh guide on the blog (in Arabic), and an ads page showing what is online now:
| Profession | Guide (in Arabic) | Ads in Riyadh |
|---|---|---|
| General laborer | Leasing general laborers in Riyadh | Workers for lease |
| Electrician | Leasing electricians in Riyadh | Workers for lease |
| Plumber | Leasing plumbers in Riyadh | Workers for lease |
| AC technician | Leasing AC technicians in Riyadh | Workers for lease |
| Mason | Leasing masons in Riyadh | Workers for lease |
| Cleaner | Leasing cleaners in Riyadh | Workers for lease |
| Warehouse worker | Leasing warehouse workers in Riyadh | Workers for lease |
| Heavy vehicle driver | Leasing heavy truck drivers in Riyadh | Workers for lease |
| Security guard | Leasing security guards in Riyadh | Workers for lease |
Security guarding has a rule of its own: only a security guarding establishment or company licensed by the Ministry of Interior may provide guarding services to another company, and all the guards must be Saudi.
For the other side, there is the page Lease requests in Riyadh: the companies that need workers now.
The governorates of the Riyadh region
The Riyadh region has more governorates than any other region of Saudi Arabia, and each governorate has its own character. In Al Kharj there is farming, dairy facilities and food manufacturing; in Diriyah hospitality, restoration and the tourist seasons; and in governorates such as Huraymila, Dhurma and Marat there are small businesses that often have surplus workers between one project and the next (these guides are in Arabic).
Ajeerk’s ads pages in the region cover Riyadh, Al Kharj, Al Duwadimi and Al Majmaah. The guide to the whole region is labor leasing in the governorates of Riyadh (in Arabic).
The calendar of peaks in Riyadh
| Period | What changes | Professions in higher demand |
|---|---|---|
| Ramadan and Eid | Restaurants, retail and delivery work different hours | Cooks, assistant cooks, packers and drivers |
| Summer | AC maintenance, and the ban on working in the sun at peak hours on open sites | AC technicians, maintenance technicians, and rescheduling construction teams |
| Winter events and Riyadh Season | Setting up, running and hospitality for weeks on end | Installation teams, electricians, and hospitality, cleaning and security workers |
| Exhibitions and conferences | A few days at a time throughout the year | Setup and dismantling teams, temporary electrics, and hospitality |
| Before the big sales | Warehouses get ready for orders | Warehouse workers, loaders and packers |
Season dates change from year to year, and Ramadan follows the Hijri calendar, so check the dates announced for each edition and start planning ahead of them. The guide to seasonal labor for companies has a calendar for the whole of Saudi Arabia.
Before you post your request in Riyadh
Riyadh is a large city, and the distance between the workers’ housing and the site can change the whole working day. Write in the details of your request what helps the providing company judge before it calls:
- Where the site is in the city: north or south Riyadh, or outside it, as daily transport affects both the price and the time.
- Housing and transport: does your company provide them, or do you expect them from the providing company?
- Number of sites: one site, or moving between branches and buildings in different districts.
- Shifts: morning, evening or round the clock, and what changes in summer and Ramadan.
- Start date and how many months you need them: a clear period brings clearer offers.
If your company in Riyadh is the one with the workers
Many companies in the capital finish their projects at around the same time, so they end up with surplus workers for weeks or months. Instead of leaving the team in their housing, post a “Workers for lease” ad with the profession, the number, the city and the shortest period you accept, and follow the Lease requests in Riyadh. The legal conditions for this are in the guide to offering surplus workers for lease.
A legal note
If a worker will work for your company while employed by another company, Article 39 of the Saudi Labor Law prohibits this unless the official rules are followed. Document the arrangement through the government Ajeer platform or with a licensed provider before the work starts, and state the work site in the agreement, as the permit is specific to the worker and the purpose named in it.