Surplus workers at your company? How to offer them for lease to other companies

When a company ends up with surplus workers

No company plans for its workers to sit in their housing with no work, but it happens in most sectors that run on projects and seasons:

• A project ends before the next one starts: you have handed over the site, and the new project has not been awarded yet, or its site has not been handed over.
• A seasonal slowdown: restaurants after Ramadan, warehouses after the peak sales season, farms between planting and harvest.
• A delay in a current project: work on a phase stops while waiting for drawings, materials or permits, and the team is ready.
• A change in a contract’s scope: the client has cut back the work, so you now have more workers in a certain profession than you need.

In all these cases, the company’s obligations to the worker continue: wages, housing, transport and meals. The worker loses out too when the work stops, as skills weaken and motivation drops. Offering the surplus for lease on a documented monthly contract turns this period into productive work for the worker, and into a fee that eases the cost for your company, and then the worker comes back to you when you need them.

Business owners search for this with phrases like “workers available for rent”, “manpower available” and “surplus workers”. They all refer to the supply side: a company that has the workers and is looking for someone who needs them.

Before you offer your workers: five things to check

Making the offer itself is easy; what needs attention is that the whole arrangement is done lawfully. Review these points before you post, and refer to the government sources at the bottom of the page:

1. Documentation: Article 39 of the Saudi Labor Law prohibits an employer from letting their worker work for others without following the official rules and procedures. The known channel for this is a permit or contract documented on the Ajeer platform, whose services include lending surplus workers to another company temporarily. The Ministry ties lending permits to the rules for outsourcing services (Decision 60339), which are for a specific service that your company supervises, so if your workers will work under the receiving company’s supervision, confirm the right channel before contracting, as explained in the guide to the difference between labor supply and labor leasing.
2. The worker’s consent: the rules for outsourcing services through Ajeer require the worker’s consent unless their employment contract already provides for it. Ask for it clearly and document it.
3. The licensed profession: the worker works in the same profession that is licensed for them. Do not offer an electrician as a plumber, or a general laborer as a technician.
4. Nitaqat: eligibility for some permits is linked to your company’s classification in Nitaqat, so check your classification before you plan any lending.
5. Wage protection: the worker remains your employee, and your company remains bound by the Wage Protection rules throughout the leasing period.

How to write a “Workers for lease” ad that brings serious requests

An accurate ad saves you half the calls. These are the fields the Ajeerk form asks for, and what is useful to write in each:

If you have more than one profession, give each profession its own ad. Someone looking for welders in Jubail wants to see the welders’ ad on its own.

What happens after “Request contact”

1. A company sees your ad and presses “Request contact”.
2. The request goes to the Ajeerk team, and the number of contact requests on your ad shows in “My ads”.
3. The Ajeerk team calls both sides from Ajeerk’s unified number, and your number is not shown to anyone in the ad.
4. The two companies agree in writing on the period, the fee and the terms.
5. The arrangement is documented officially, and then the workers start.

The final agreement is between the two companies alone, and Ajeerk is not a party to it.

Protect your company before your workers leave for the site

• Non-solicitation: a clause that stops the receiving company from offering your workers a move to it outside the official channels, during the period and for a time after it that you both agree on.
• A shared attendance record: a daily or weekly sheet signed by both sides’ supervisors, which settles payment and disputes.
• Payment terms: when the monthly payment is due, what happens if it is late, and linking the invoice to the attendance record.
• Handover and return: a list of which of your workers went and when they come back, and the condition of any equipment that went with them.
• Early termination: a clear notice period for both sides.
• Safety: who provides protective equipment, and who is responsible for work injuries.

Before and after: an idle worker or a worker in a monthly arrangement