Prime Highlights
- More than 500,000 Sudanese workers are currently employed in Saudi Arabia, mainly across the agriculture and animal husbandry sectors.
- Sudan and Saudi Arabia are working together on training and skills programs to better prepare workers for market needs.
Key Facts
- Agreements include vocational training and rehabilitation of damaged training centers inside Sudan.
- Saudi Arabia’s labor market created over six million jobs between 2015 and 2025, with strong participation from women.
Background:
The number of Sudanese workers employed in Saudi Arabia has surpassed 500,000, with a large share working in agriculture and animal husbandry, Sudan’s Minister of Human Resources and Social Welfare, Mutassim Ahmed Saleh, said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Global Labor Market Forum, Saleh confirmed that Sudan and Saudi Arabia have signed agreements aimed at preparing Sudanese workers before they enter the Saudi labor market. The program focuses on skills training and professional qualification, using Saudi expertise to deliver structured training in Sudan.
Saleh described Saudi Arabia as the largest and most important destination for Sudanese labor, noting ongoing coordination with the Kingdom’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. He said the cooperation is designed to strengthen administrative and technical skills, ensuring workers meet current market requirements.
The minister also pointed to efforts to strengthen vocational training, as Sudan has lost many skilled workers because of the conflict. He said damage to training centers and closures have made rebuilding and upgrading the sector a priority.
According to Saleh, joint plans include rehabilitating existing training facilities, upgrading equipment, and updating curricula to better match labor market needs. These measures aim to prepare sufficient numbers of young men and women to fill available roles both within Sudan and abroad.
Saleh praised the growth of Saudi Arabia’s labor market between 2015 and 2025, saying it created more than six million jobs. He added that Saudi women took a large share of these roles, leading to higher participation in the workforce.
He added that Saudi Arabia’s labor market experience has become a reference point for many countries attending the forum, particularly in employment planning, skills development, and job creation.
