Suspension of scarcity allowance in Saudi universities: New conditions and percentages

0 1 2 minutes

Several Saudi universities have begun taking decisive steps to reorganize and regulate the disbursement of financial allowances to faculty members, specifically the "scarcity allowance," starting this February. These moves come in response to ministerial circulars and regulatory directives mandating a review of financial entitlements to ensure their compliance with the regulations approved by the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Education, a step aimed at improving spending efficiency and managing human resources effectively.

Background to the decision and the context of financial governance

This measure comes within the context of a general trend among higher education institutions in the Kingdom towards implementing the highest standards of financial and administrative governance, in line with the objectives of Vision 2030. The "scarcity allowance" is one of the financial incentives previously approved to attract talent in disciplines experiencing a shortage of national personnel. However, recent updates to human resources systems, specifically through the "Anjaz" platform, have revealed a critical need to reassess eligibility based on accurate and up-to-date data, to ensure that support reaches those who truly deserve it according to the current realities of the academic job market.

New screening mechanism and eligibility requirements

Sources explained that the suspension decisions implemented by universities were based directly on the results of the digital "alignment" of systems, which required academics to update their general and specific field data according to the unified Saudi classification of educational levels and specializations. The relevant authorities established two main criteria for the continued disbursement of the allowance:

Localization rate: The allowance is disbursed only if the percentage of Saudis in the relevant specialization does not exceed 50%, which reflects the philosophy of the allowance based on compensating for the shortage; if national competencies are available at a sufficient percentage, the justification for “scarcity” is eliminated.
Specialization Match: The need for complete match between the exact specialization of the faculty member and the titles mentioned in the appointment decision, in addition to the classification of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties for the colleges concerned.

Details of exchange rates and eligible categories

The regulations set varying percentages for disbursing the scarcity allowance, depending on the vitality of the specialization and the degree of need for it. The divisions are as follows:

The highest percentage (40%) was allocated to specialists in the engineering, medical, health and computer fields, due to the continuous need for these personnel in the labor market and development projects.
The average percentage (30%) includes administrative, financial, and legal (law) specializations.
The basic percentage (25%) is awarded to the majors of languages and translation, basic and applied sciences, readings, special education, and kindergarten.
Peripheral Areas Allowance (20%): It was decided to disburse this percentage to lecturers and teaching assistants working in colleges located in the peripheral governorates, as an incentive to work in those areas.

Regulatory controls for continuation and suspension

As part of regulating the disbursement process, the instructions emphasized the continued payment of the allowance to eligible recipients during summer vacation and sabbatical leave periods, in order to ensure the financial stability of academics dedicated to research and development. Conversely, the regulations clearly stipulated the immediate termination of the allowance in cases of secondment or assignment to work outside the university, as the allowance is contingent upon the performance of academic duties within the educational institution.

The salaries and benefits departments in all universities called on all members who received notices of suspension of the allowance to quickly contact the relevant authorities to correct their situation or inquire, stressing that the accuracy of the data entered into the digital systems is the deciding criterion in determining financial entitlements in the future.