DAMMAM — The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development emphasized that six groups are not covered under the Labor Reform Initiative (LRI), which is aimed to improve the contractual relationship between employers and employees in the private sector. Speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette, the ministry sources reiterated that there is no truth in the rumors being circulated with regard to exemption of some sections of the society from the purview of the initiative, which came into force on Sunday. According to the sources, the six categories exempted from the initiative are the following: Members of the employer's family — wife, parents and children — who work in the firm where there are no other staffers; players of clubs and sports federations and their coaches; domestic workers and workers coming in similar category; agricultural workers, shepherds and gardeners; sea workers who work on ships weighing less than 500 tons; in addition to non-Saudi seasonal workers hired to perform a specific job for a period not exceeding two months. It is noteworthy that LRI is one of the initiatives of the Kingdom's National Transformation Program, which aims to support the ministry's vision of building an attractive job market, empowering and developing human competencies and developing the work environment. The ministry announced the launch of the initiative on Nov. 4, 2020, revamping the 70-year old sponsorship system. The initiative provides three main services, which are the job mobility service, changes in the mechanisms for the issuance of the exit and reentry visa and the final exit visa. The new services under the initiative will be available through the Absher and Qiwa online platforms.
