Rules, recent events, case themes, and preparation

• Saudization: Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development requires a share of consulting jobs to be held by Saudi nationals. The first phase set 35 percent from April 2023, and the second phase raised it to 40 percent from March 2024. This is one reason firms actively recruit Saudi graduates.
• Emiratisation: in the UAE, private companies with 50 or more employees must raise the share of Emiratis in skilled jobs by 2 percentage points each year, reaching 10 percent by the end of 2026. Since 2024, companies with 20 to 49 employees in 14 sectors, including professional and technical activities, have also had to hire Emiratis: at least one in 2024 and a second in 2025 (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation).
• Regional headquarters rule: since 1 January 2024, Saudi government bodies have been told not to award contracts above a set value to foreign companies without a regional headquarters in the Kingdom. Since late 2025, government bodies can request exemptions through the Etimad platform (reported by Arab News, February 2026). Large consulting firms have set up regional headquarters in Riyadh; for example, PwC received its license and opened its regional headquarters in 2023 (reported).
• Work permits and visas are arranged by the employer after an offer. Rules differ by country and change often. This is general information, not legal advice, so ask the recruiter what applies to you and check the official government page.

• In February 2025 the Public Investment Fund stopped giving new advisory work to PwC for one year, and it was reported to have lifted the ban in January 2026. Only consulting work was affected. PwC reportedly cut about 1,500 roles in the region during this period (reported by Bloomberg, Semafor, and others; neither PIF nor PwC commented). Hiring at a single firm can change quickly, so check current openings.
• In May 2026 the Financial Times, Semafor, and others reported that Saudi government bodies and PIF-linked companies had paused many new consulting contracts and delayed some payments amid fiscal tightening linked to the regional conflict. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Finance disputed the reports, saying invoices continue to be paid within contract timelines. Ask recruiters about current hiring plans.
• PwC's May 2026 Middle East Economy Watch describes how the regional conflict is affecting oil exports, trade, and supply chains in the GCC.

Typical case themes in public examples and regional client work

• Government programs: designing a national strategy for a sector such as tourism, health, or education, and setting targets and measures of success.
• Giga-projects: forecasting demand for a new destination, planning how many hotel rooms to open each year, or staffing a new city.
• Localization: increasing local content or local employment in an industry.
• Market entry into Saudi Arabia, and privatization of public services.
• Energy and petrochemicals: diversification and cost reduction.

What to prepare

• Practice public-sector cases where the goal is not profit: agree on the objective and the success measures first.
• Practice market sizing with population figures for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar.
• Learn the main goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and read one recent public report from each firm you target.
• If you speak Arabic, show it clearly on your CV.
• If you are a Saudi or Emirati national, look for each firm's national recruiting programs and events.

Facts checked against sources on 2026-09-28. Sources, official pages first. "Reported" means a secondary source, not the firm or government itself.

• Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development: second phase of localizing consulting professions (official government source): https://www.hrsd.gov.sa/en/media-center/news/250320241
• UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation: Emiratisation targets (official government source): https://mohre.gov.ae/en/guidance-and-awareness-portal-new/emiratisation-targets
• UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation: targets for companies with 20 to 49 employees (January 2024) (official government source): https://www.mohre.gov.ae/en/media-center/news/2/1/2024/mohre-begins-implementing-emiratisation-targets-on-over-12000-private-companies-with-20-49-employees
• Strategy& Middle East: Our offices (official): https://www.strategyand.pwc.com/m1/en/about-us/our-offices.html
• Redseer Middle East (official): https://redseer.com/redseer-middle-east/
• BCG: International opportunities, application timing and languages by country (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/locations/united-kingdom/international-opportunities
• PwC Middle East Economy Watch, May 2026 (official): https://www.pwc.com/m1/en/media-centre/2026/middle-east-economy-watch-may-2026.html
• Reported (news): Consultancy-me, May 2025, GCC consulting market forecast for 2025: https://www.consultancy-me.com/news/11464/consulting-market-of-gcc-to-grow-by-12-to-over-8-billion-in-2025
• Reported (news): Consultancy-me, May 2026, Saudi government freezes and delays consulting spend (includes the Ministry of Finance response): https://www.consultancy-me.com/news/13502/saudi-government-freezes-and-delays-consulting-spend-amid-war-driven-fiscal-tightening
• Reported (news): Semafor, 21 May 2026, Saudi Arabia freezes consultancy payments: https://www.semafor.com/article/05/21/2026/saudi-arabia-freezes-consultancy-payments
• Reported (news): Consultancy-me, PwC inaugurates regional headquarters in Riyadh: https://www.consultancy-me.com/news/6352/pwc-inaugurates-regional-headquarters-in-riyadh
• Reported: Mayer Brown, updates on Saudi Arabia's Regional Headquarters Program: https://www.mayerbrown.com/en/insights/publications/2024/04/updates-on-saudi-arabias-regional-headquarters-program
• Reported (news): Arab News, February 2026, contracting exceptions for firms without a regional headquarters: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2633989/business-economy
• Reported (news): Bloomberg, PIF blocks PwC from advisory work for one year (February 2025): https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-28/saudi-wealth-fund-blocks-pwc-from-advisory-work-for-one-year
• Reported (news): Semafor, PIF ends PwC consultancy ban (January 2026): https://www.semafor.com/article/01/26/2026/saudi-pif-ends-pwc-consultancy-ban
• Reported: RoadToOffer, Consulting firms in Saudi Arabia: https://www.roadtooffer.com/blog/consulting-firms-in-saudi-arabia
• Reported: PrepLounge forum, recruiting for Strategy& Middle East: https://www.preplounge.com/consulting-forum/recruiting-for-strategy-middle-east-23408
• Reported: Hacking the Case Interview, Arthur D. Little case interview: https://www.hackingthecaseinterview.com/pages/arthur-d-little-case-interview