Saudi Arabia Puts Working Parents at the Centre of Its Labour Reforms

A new nursery mandate, expanded parental leave, and some of the Gulf's most optimistic workers signal that Saudi Arabia is serious about employee experience as a competitive priority.

| Written by Tripti Mehta

Saudi Arabia's Cabinet has directed both public and private sector employers to establish workplace nurseries, in a move designed to support working mothers and advance early childhood development goals under Vision 2030. Authorities have also been tasked with addressing operational challenges, including differences in working hours between nurseries and institutions such as ministries, schools, and companies, to encourage employees to enrol their children in workplace childcare centres.

The nursery policy builds on a broader legislative shift already underway. Saudi Arabia's 2025 labour law amendments extended maternity leave from 10 weeks to 12 weeks with full pay, with a minimum of six weeks mandatory after delivery and the remaining weeks available at the employee's discretion. Paternity leave now carries a mandatory timeframe, requiring fathers to take their leave within seven days of the child's birth. 

The reforms are landing in a workforce already showing strong positive sentiment. According to Gallup's State of the Global Workplace: 2026 Report, 51% of employees in Saudi Arabia report thriving, while 77% say it is a good time to find a job, more than double the MENA regional average of 36%.

For HR leaders in the Kingdom, family-supportive infrastructure is moving from a differentiator to a baseline expectation. Organisations that move ahead of the mandate rather than in response to it will be best placed to attract and retain the talent Vision 2030 is producing.

Source: Gulf Business, Gulf News, Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2026, Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, Clyde & Co