The following words and phrases - wherever they appear in this regulation - shall have the meanings indicated next to them unless the context requires otherwise:

• Ministry: Ministry of Labor.

• Minister: Minister of Labor.

• Fund: Human Resources Development Fund.

• Assistance: Job search assistance.

• Applicant: The person who has applied to benefit from the assistance.

• Beneficiary: The applicant who receives the assistance.

• Pension: Any amount paid monthly to the applicant by the General Organization for Retirement or the General Organization for Social Insurance as the direct entitled person under the Retirement Law or the Social Insurance Law.

• Training: Technical or vocational training that lasts more than three months.

• Job Seekers Database: A database of job seekers created by the Fund for this purpose.

• Website: The website created by the Fund in accordance with this regulation.

• Regulation: The implementing regulation of this regulation.

• On-the-job training: The tasks or work that the Fund - or an authorized representative of the Fund - requests the applicant or beneficiary to perform, aimed at developing the skills of the applicant or beneficiary and increasing their chances of obtaining employment.

• Authorized representative of the Fund: Any governmental or private entity authorized by the Fund to do any of the following:

  • 1- Communicate with applicants or beneficiaries to implement some provisions of this regulation and the regulation.

  • 2- Perform some of the Fund's tasks or responsibilities, including - but not limited to - training and qualifying applicants and beneficiaries or arranging personal interviews for them with the public or private sector for the purpose of employment.

The amount of the assistance shall be (2,000) two thousand Riyals per month for a period of twelve Hijri months, starting from the date of approval of the applicant's request.

The fund may grant cash or in-kind incentive rewards to beneficiaries who demonstrate seriousness and diligence in seeking employment. The amount, type, duration, and eligibility conditions for the incentive reward shall be determined by a decision from the fund, and shall be financed from the amounts allocated for funding the assistance.

The applicant must meet all the following conditions to be eligible for the assistance:

• 1- Must be a Saudi national.

• Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph, the sons and daughters of a Saudi woman married to a non-Saudi national who meet the other conditions specified in this article may apply for job search assistance.

• 2- Must be a permanent resident in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as specified in Article (7) of this regulation.

• 3- Must be at least twenty years old and not more than thirty-five years old.

• 4- Must not be employed or working in the public or private sector.

• 5- Must be capable of working.

• 6- Must not be entitled to a pension.

• 7- Must not be entitled to any allowance or compensation for unemployment.

• 8- Must not be a student or trainee at any stage of education or training.

• 9- Must not have a commercial activity, as specified in Article (5) of this regulation.

• 10- Must not have a fixed income that equals or exceeds the assistance due to him under this regulation.

• 11- The following periods must have elapsed before submitting his application:

  • A- At least six months from the date of obtaining a certificate of completion of postgraduate or undergraduate studies, or a high school certificate or its equivalent, or a certificate of completion of training.

  • B- At least six months from the date of withdrawal from studies or training if he is not entitled to a grant from the state during this study or training.

  • C- At least one full year from the date of withdrawal from studies or training if he is entitled to a grant from the state during this study or training.

  • D- At least three months from the date of termination of the employment or labor relationship if he has previously worked in the public or private sector, taking into account what is stated in paragraph (7) of this article.

• The Minister may amend the periods mentioned in paragraph (12) of this article.

• 12- Must have completed the period specified by the regulation - at a minimum - without violating any of the applicant's ongoing obligations stipulated in this regulation and the regulation without an excuse accepted by the fund, during the period the fund spends studying his application. The regulation specifies the number of violations that will result in the rejection of the applicant's request, and the controls for submitting another application.

The commercial activity for the purposes of this regulation - including but not limited to - is defined as follows:

• 1- Ownership of an individual establishment to engage in any commercial, industrial, agricultural, service, professional activity, or similar activities.

• 2- Obtaining a license to open a shop or office to practice any commercial, industrial, agricultural, service, professional activity, or similar activities.

• 3- Participation in a professional company.

• 4- The presence of non-Saudis under the sponsorship of the applicant, excluding parents, spouse, and children.

1- For the applicant, residence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for no less than ten months in the year preceding the submission of their application, except for those who are outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for study purposes under an accredited certificate, or other cases deemed by the Fund based on approved justifications.

2- For the beneficiary, residence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for no less than ten months during the period in which the assistance is granted to them.

1- Responsibilities and Duties of the Ministry:

• A- Issuing the necessary executive decisions to implement this regulation.

• B- Coordinating with governmental and private entities to facilitate the procedures for applying and disbursing assistance to beneficiaries.

• C- Supervising the Fund's performance of its duties and responsibilities under this regulation, and ensuring compliance.

2- Responsibilities and Duties of the Fund:

• A- Establishing and operating the website and database for job seekers, and communicating through them with applicants and beneficiaries, as well as defining the procedures and application forms that the applicant or beneficiary must complete and submit.

• B- Receiving and reviewing applicants' claims and deciding on the acceptance or rejection of the claim; the Fund may obtain information about the applicants from governmental and private entities for this purpose.

• C- Implementing all necessary programs, courses, and workshops to qualify applicants and beneficiaries and develop their skills, either directly or through a representative of the Fund, including training and qualification by various means, which includes training through training courses, on-the-job training, or remote training. The regulation specifies the maximum limit of weekly hours that the Fund, or its representative, may assign to the applicant or beneficiary, provided that it does not exceed the legally prescribed limit.

• D- Disbursing assistance to beneficiaries.

• E- Monitoring beneficiaries and ensuring the continued fulfillment of eligibility criteria, and issuing decisions related to the suspension of assistance disbursement, its reduction, or deductions from it, or stopping the reduction. The Fund may obtain information about the beneficiaries from governmental and private entities for this purpose.

• F- Receiving and reviewing the applicant's grievance regarding the rejection of their claim or the beneficiary's grievance regarding the decision to suspend their assistance or reduce it or deduct from it.

1- The applicant who meets the eligibility criteria shall submit their application for assistance to the fund via the website or any other means specified by the fund.

2- The applicant is obligated to provide the fund with all the documents requested in the manner specified.

3- The fund shall study the applicant's request to verify the fulfillment of the eligibility criteria, and shall notify the applicant of its response within a period not exceeding three months from the date of the last action completed by the applicant. In the event that the fund's notification is a rejection, the rejection must be justified.

4- Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (3) of this article, if the applicant is not eligible for assistance due to not meeting the condition stipulated in paragraph (12) of Article (Four), the fund shall notify the applicant of the postponement of the decision on their request until the applicant complies with that condition.