Saudi Arabia Seeks More Pakistani Workers for Its Growing Job Market

Saudi Arabia is asking companies in the kingdom to hire more Pakistani workers. The recruiter, named Baig in the report, is the chairman of an overseas employment firm. He said he met top CEOs of Saudi companies he recruits for over the past year. They told him Riyadh and its ministries had pushed them to take more Pakistanis.

Three or four big Saudi companies gave the same message, he said. He called it a good sign for ties between the two countries and for jobs for Pakistanis. Saudi Arabia is the biggest destination for Pakistani workers. It took nearly 65% of Pakistan’s overseas job registrations from January 2024 to September 2026, official data shows.

Pakistan registered 258,178 workers for Saudi jobs from January to September 2026. The Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BE&OE) data shows about 530,000 for all of 2025. The 2026 figure covers only nine months.

Pakistan also has a long-term plan to send 1 million workers to Saudi Arabia by 2030, per the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26. It names construction, hospitality, health care, IT and aviation as target sectors. The survey also aims to train 300,000 to 400,000 workers between 2026 and 2034. They would work on projects linked to Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.