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The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development carried out more than 120,000 proactive inspections across Saudi workplaces during the first quarter of 2026 as part of operations to combat human trafficking and reinforce worker protections. The ministry’s statement issued on July 30 noted that these visits also sought to improve overall regulatory compliance in employment settings. During the same period officials received more than 1,600 reports of suspected trafficking and referred all alleged offenders to the competent authorities for legal action while organizing specialized training workshops to help staff identify relevant indicators.
These inspection efforts build on the National Policy to Eliminate Forced Labor that the Cabinet adopted in January 2025 positioning Saudi Arabia as the first GCC country to establish such a framework. Arab News reported at the time that the policy focuses on prevention and protection measures to eradicate forced labor. Osama Ghanem Alobaidy told Arab News “This policy adopted by the Kingdom will ensure the protection of persons living or working in the Kingdom and create a safe working environment.”
The national policy complements a series of Saudi laws addressing labor rights anti-trafficking provisions and child protection according to the ministry’s overview. Among supporting programs the ministry has rolled out the Labor Reform Initiative together with the Wage Protection Program to safeguard employee entitlements in various economic sectors. Coordination among government entities has allowed these elements to form an integrated approach to monitoring and enforcement.
The US State Department’s 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report documented that ministry inspectors completed more than 1.375 million labor inspections the previous year while fielding 68,807 worker complaints. Most grievances involved passport retention non-payment of wages and absence of contracts all recognized as common trafficking indicators the report stated. Inspectors received dedicated training on spotting such signs and employed a standardized questionnaire to assess cases before referring them through the national referral mechanism.
Ministry figures from an earlier Facebook post showed that the first quarter of 2025 had seen more than 61,500 similar field inspections indicating a near doubling in activity by early 2026. The increase coincides with expanded use of digital tools and hotlines for data entry on potential victims as highlighted in the State Department assessment. Training programs for the 799 labor inspectors now emphasize trafficking awareness to support sustained improvements in identification and response.
