Why plan for the peak before it starts
Every company knows its season: the restaurant knows Ramadan, the warehouse knows the sales, the factory knows the date of its turnaround, and the farm knows its harvest. Even so, most requests are left to the last week, so everyone competes for the same workers on the same days, and undocumented offers start to look tempting.
Planning early changes the picture. When you post your request before the season, you reach companies with surplus workers before those workers are committed elsewhere, and you have time for a written agreement, official documentation and testing the workers. People search for this with phrases like “seasonal labor” and “temporary labor”. What is meant here is the version for companies inside Saudi Arabia: workers already in the country who work for your company during the peak under a documented arrangement.
A yearly calendar of peaks
The dates of many of these seasons change from year to year: Ramadan and Hajj follow the Hijri calendar, farming seasons follow the weather, and events follow their organizers’ announcements. Use the table as a guide for your thinking, and check the actual dates every year.
| Season | Sectors | Professions in higher demand | When to start planning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramadan and Eid | Restaurants, retail, delivery and hospitality | Cooks, assistant cooks, packers, drivers and cleaners | At least a month before Ramadan |
| Hajj | Pilgrim service companies in Makkah and the holy sites | Catering, cleaning, maintenance and transport | Very early, while following the “Ajeer Hajj” service |
| Umrah seasons | Hotels in Makkah and Madinah, and visitor services | Hospitality workers, cleaners and maintenance | Before the visitor peak |
| Summer | AC maintenance, and tourism in Taif, Abha and Al Baha | AC technicians, hospitality workers and maintenance technicians | Before the heat sets in |
| Back to school | Retail, stationery and transport | Warehouse workers, cashiers and drivers | Before the holidays end |
| Date season in Qassim | Farms, sorting and packing | Date harvesters, sorters and packers | Before the crop ripens |
| Rose picking in Taif | Farms and distilleries | Pickers and packers | Before spring |
| Olive picking in Al Jouf | Farms and olive presses | Pickers and transport workers | Before autumn |
| Plant turnarounds | The Eastern Province and the industrial cities | Welders, blacksmiths, insulation technicians, scaffolders and industrial cleaners | From the moment the maintenance schedule is approved |
| Riyadh Season and winter events | Events, hospitality and installation | Installation crews, electricians, and hospitality, security and cleaning workers | Before each edition opens |
| E-commerce sales | Warehouses and distribution centers | Warehouse workers, loaders, packers and wrappers | Weeks before the sales |
The legal framework for temporary and seasonal work
The basic rule is in Article 39 of the Labor Law: a worker does not work for anyone other than their employer without following the official rules and procedures. That is why there are channels for temporary work:
- Temporary work permits on the Ajeer platform: an electronic document that allows a worker to work for a specific company for a temporary, defined period.
- Seasonal and special permits: among the Ajeer permits, Saudipedia lists types for entertainment seasons, for seasonal parcel delivery and for other purposes. Their names and conditions change, so check them on the platform.
- “Ajeer Hajj”: a service the Ministry of Human Resources launched for the 1446 AH Hajj season, to contract seasonal workers temporarily and issue work permits in the holy sites.
- Providers licensed to offer labor services: another option when you need workers that no single company has.
We do not state any period or fee for any permit here; go back to the government sources at the bottom of the page before you agree.
Summer heat and Ramadan hours
Every summer, a decision is issued banning work under the sun during the peak hours at open-air sites. Check its announced dates every year, and rearrange the shifts before it starts, because you may need more workers to get the same work done in fewer hours.
In Ramadan, the actual working hours of Muslim workers are reduced under Article 98 of the Labor Law, and the busy hours in restaurants and retail move to the evening. Write the hours and shifts clearly in the agreement, so the two sides do not disagree about overtime in the middle of the month.
Urgent requests without giving up on the rules
Sometimes the peak starts earlier than expected, or you are given work you did not plan for. When the request is urgent:
- Write a precise request: the profession, the number, the city, the period in months and the start date.
- Accept a smaller first batch: start with whoever is available, and complete the number the following week.
- Beware of “ready right now, no papers” offers: speed does not justify an undocumented arrangement, and the violation also falls on whoever put the worker to work.
- Document before you start: the time documentation takes is far cheaper than a violation in the middle of the season.
After the season: end the arrangement calmly
The end of the season is part of the plan too. Agree from the start on the end date, and on what happens if the work finishes before it or runs past it. In the last week:
- Close the attendance record, have both sides sign it, and issue the last invoice based on it.
- Hand the workers back to their company on time, along with any equipment or entry cards they received.
- Write down what you learned: the numbers you actually needed, the professions you were short of, and the companies that dealt with you seriously. This small notebook makes planning the next season faster and more accurate.
- If your company is the provider: a season that has ended for one company may be starting at another, so offer your team again. See offering surplus workers for lease.