Saudi Arabia's economic transformation program — Vision 2030, launched in 2016 — is not just a plan for fiscal diversification. It is the simultaneous construction of a modern economy in 15 years: tourism infrastructure, smart cities, manufacturing, and top-tier healthcare. Executing it demands talent the Saudi market cannot absorb on its own within the planned timelines.
Estimates from the Saudi Human Resources Development Fund put the need for additional international workforce at between 300,000 and 500,000 professionals for 2024-2030.
The 8 waves of international workforce
1. Health and life sciences
The expansion of the public health system demands specialist doctors and nurses. The regulator is the SCFHS (Saudi Commission for Health Specialties), which requires degree verification, a license, and often a clinical competency exam. The main origin corridor is the Philippines (nursing); the Latin American corridor is growing in medical specialties.
2. Construction and engineering
NEOM, Red Sea, Diriyah Gate, and Qiddiya need civil and structural engineers and project managers, with delivery deadlines in 2028-2029. Degree verification is handled by the Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE).
3. Tourism and hospitality
The target is 150 million tourists a year by 2030. Hospitality profiles are mostly international. For these non-regulated profiles, Booka's Trust Agent handles the verification of international certifications.
4. Education and technical training
Saudi Arabia is building 300 new technical-training institutions, with strong demand for teachers and trainers holding recognized qualifications.
5. Technology and cybersecurity
The LEAP program and the ambition to turn Riyadh into a tech hub generate demand for software engineers, AI specialists, and cybersecurity professionals.
6. Financial services
The Saudi market's entry into the MSCI and FTSE indices sustains demand for banking, insurance, and asset management with international qualifications (CFA, ACCA, FRM).
7. Manufacturing and industry
The goal is to raise manufacturing's contribution to GDP from 11% to 19% by 2030, with electric-vehicle and defense production.
8. Mining and renewable energy
NEOM Green Hydrogen and the solar projects need renewable-energy engineers and geologists. The green-hydrogen output planned for 2030 is 600 metric tons per day.
The Latin America to Saudi Arabia corridor
For Latin American professionals — especially doctors and nurses — the process has two stages:
- 1Source verification
of the degree at the issuing institution (Verifier Agent).
- 2Filing with the SCFHS
for the practice license (Regulator Agent).
The average time to obtain the SCFHS license is 3 to 5 months depending on the specialty, depending on the regulator.
Booka has run this corridor since 2024 with Colombia and Venezuela as main origins, and activates Ecuador and Peru in the second half of 2026.
Measure your corridor's timelines with a pilot before committing volume.
Conclusion
Vision 2030 is not a one-off project: it is a structural demand for international talent through at least 2030. Whoever builds the credentialing infrastructure for these corridors now will hold an operational edge when volume peaks between 2026 and 2028.
On the employer side, the same policy shows up as a number: what Saudization rate an entity has to hit, by activity and headcount, from the ministry's own coefficients. If you are the professional rather than the employer, create your free profile.