Market Update: Saudi manpower firms post strong gains as HR sector expands  – Full Analysis

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s human resources sector is seeing strong, structural growth, driven by Saudization and the regional headquarters program, with listed recruitment firms reporting robust earnings. 

The momentum is reflected in the performance of companies such as Al Mawarid Manpower Co. and International Human Resources Co., which both posted sharp profit increases in 2025. 

Al Mawarid reported a net profit of SR138.46 million ($36.90 million) in 2025, up 45.1 percent from a year earlier, while International Human Resources Co. posted a net profit of SR14.3 million, marking a 69.92 percent year-on-year increase, according to filings on the Saudi Exchange. 

This comes as Grand View Research estimates Saudi Arabia’s human resource management market will reach $1.82 billion by the end of the decade, growing at a compound annual rate of 15.5 percent from 2025 to 2030. 

Experts say this expansion reflects deeper structural shifts rather than short-term cycles. 

Maurice Salem, senior principal at Arthur D. Little Middle East, told Arab News: “Leading firms such as Al Mawarid Manpower Co. and International Human Resources Co., posting revenue growth, illustrate the shift from intermediaries to workforce infrastructure platforms, enabled by AI, digital compliance, and workforce analytics.” 

He added that under Saudi Vision 2030, three forces are driving sustained demand in the recruitment sector: large-scale economic expansion, Saudization across multiple professions, and over 2.48 million Saudis entering the private sector since 2020. 

“The growth of Saudi Arabia’s recruitment and placement sector is structural — not cyclical. Critically, Vision 2030 is not just creating jobs — it is raising skill thresholds, embedding a national upskilling agenda that continuously fuels demand for HR solutions,” said Salem. 

Antonio Pillogallo, head of strategy at Infomineo, said that Saudi national policies aimed at attracting regional headquarters and localizing the workforce are contributing to the growth of human resource companies in the Kingdom. 

Some of the companies that have established regional bases in Riyadh include Northern Trust, IHG Hotels & Resorts, PwC, and Deloitte, reflecting the impact of the Kingdom’s regional headquarters program. 

“The private sector is hungry for talent — not just any talent, but profiles capable of performing high value-added jobs like accounting, engineering, and procurement with international quality and productivity standards,” said Pillogallo. 

Raymond Khoury, partner and public sector practice lead at Arthur D. Little Middle East, said HR firms in the Kingdom are evolving into platforms that integrate hiring, compliance, payroll, and workforce mobility.

“Saudi HR firms are becoming the control panel of the labor market or more of the central nervous system — orchestrating how talent is matched, developed, and deployed in real time across a rapidly evolving economy,” said Khoury. 

Despite rising geopolitical conflicts involving the US, Israel and Iran, experts say the sector’s long-term outlook remains intact. 

“The current Iran-Israel-US conflict does add a layer of short-term caution around investor sentiment, mobility of expatriate talent, insurance, logistics and input costs. But for Saudi Arabia, the bigger HR story is still domestic reform, state-backed investment and Vision 2030 execution,” said Sheldon W. Serrao, business head at Talion Search FZE.

He added: “Unless the conflict materially disrupts regional trade routes or project funding, it is more likely to slow some decisions than change the long-term hiring trajectory.”