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The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has expanded its national training campaign Wa’ad with commitments now pointing toward a total of 4.5 million opportunities by 2028. Minister Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi revealed the updated scale during a recent dialogue session noting that more than 2 million training opportunities have already been delivered. The figure reflects accelerating partnerships with private sector firms and training providers as the campaign enters its second phase following an initial rollout that surpassed early goals by generating over 1.3 million slots in half the expected timeframe according to ministry figures.
According to the ministry the human resources system has completed 70 percent of its strategic objectives under Vision 2030 while participating in eight of the program’s main tracks. Al-Rajhi pointed to the rise in Saudis working in the private sector to roughly 2.5 million alongside an increase in women’s labor participation to 34.5 percent from 23 percent in 2019. These advances demonstrate the growing maturity of the national labor market the minister stated in the assessment.
The Wa’ad initiative focuses on specialized programs in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing through forums and workshops held across multiple regions. In its expanded phase the campaign has reached additional provinces including Najran Al-Baha and Asir where local events have generated tens of thousands of training pledges. Ministry data places the cumulative number of beneficiaries above 2.8 million to date with more than 50 specialized workshops already conducted to better match skills to economic requirements.
Al-Rajhi announced the parallel launch of a skills accelerator aimed at upskilling 300,000 private sector employees by 2027 as part of the broader training ecosystem. The Human Resources Development Fund has meanwhile supported more than 1.5 million citizens through programs backed by over 3.8 billion Saudi riyals in allocations. These combined measures have helped lower the national unemployment rate among Saudis to 6.8 percent in the second quarter surpassing the Vision 2030 target of 7 percent the ministry reported.
Private companies join Wa’ad by meeting seven criteria including a commitment to train more than 12 percent of their Saudi workforce each year. Fourteen leading national firms initially signed on with the number of partners growing steadily as the second edition unfolds. The ministry has invited further participation from educational institutions and supervisory bodies to widen access for students graduates and current employees alike.
The campaign forms one element of more than 100 initiatives across the human resources portfolio with the latest review showing strong progress toward long-term economic diversification. Officials continue to track outcomes across regions adjusting programs to address sector-specific demands in areas such as tourism energy and technology. This structured approach seeks to elevate national talent competitiveness while sustaining momentum in labor market reforms.
