The Saudi government is using significant sovereign wealth to change the profile of its native work force
and to encourage ‘Saudization’ among government and private sector employers. Despite its direct and
indirect control of the economy and education the hegemony of relying on expatriates (nationals can
command up to six times the salary of expatriates) remains deeply ingrained even at the skilled and
professional level. The current status of human resources development in Saudi Arabia, however, is
improving and the King Abdullah scholarship program is a major force towards that development.
Whether the country can utilize the newly trained workforce is still debatable. The hard won knowledge
and understanding explicit in research on International Human Resource Management has not necessarily
been transferred to the process in growing human capital in Saudi Arabia. Appropriately trained man (and
woman) power remains a quest for the Ministry of Higher Education while the appropriate use of the
training is a whole of country question.