Saudi Arabia Pushes Employers to Hire More Pakistani Workers as Gulf Remittances Hit Record High
Saudi companies say authorities in Riyadh are encouraging them to take on more Pakistani staff, with the Kingdom already absorbing nearly 65% of Pakistanis registering for overseas jobs.
Major Saudi companies have indicated that authorities in the Kingdom are encouraging them to take on more Pakistani workers, according to the head of a Pakistani overseas recruitment firm, in a sign that demand for Pakistani labour in the Gulf is set to grow.
Issam Baig, chairman of recruitment company Jan Mohammad & Sons, said executives at several large Saudi firms told him during recent visits to Riyadh and Jeddah that they had been urged by the government and relevant ministries to accommodate more Pakistani nationals. He said three to four major Saudi companies conveyed the same message, describing it as a positive development for bilateral relations and for job seekers in Pakistan.
Saudi Arabia remains the leading destination for Pakistani workers by a wide margin. Data from the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BE&OE) shows that more than 1.21 million of the 1.87 million Pakistanis who registered for overseas employment between January 2024 and September 2026 went to the Kingdom — nearly 65 percent of the total.
Worker registrations for Saudi Arabia have climbed steadily, rising from 426,951 in 2023 to 452,648 in 2024 and 530,437 in 2025. In the first nine months of 2026, 258,178 workers registered for Saudi employment, according to the bureau's figures.
Baig said Pakistan must ensure it sends skilled and qualified workers to preserve the confidence being shown by Saudi employers. "We should uphold that trust by sending them quality manpower," he was quoted as saying. A senior BE&OE official said the government is reviewing labour market developments in the Middle East to understand recent employment trends and prepare future projections.
Gulf nations employ millions of Pakistanis and serve as a critical source of foreign currency for the country, which received a record $41.6 billion in remittances in the last fiscal year. Officials had also indicated earlier this year that securing jobs in Saudi Arabia is expected to become easier for Pakistani applicants.
