Human Resources Development Fund

Funds Saudi Arabia employment readiness by supporting private-sector workforce training and productivity-focused subsidy programs.

The Human Resources Development Fund, branded as Hadaf, is Saudi Arabia's national workforce development body. It was founded in 2000 under Council of Ministers Resolution No. 107 and sits within the broader labour-market policy architecture that also links to the National Development Fund and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.

HRDF finances wage subsidies, on-the-job training stipends, transport support, and professional certificate reimbursements for Saudi nationals entering the private sector. Its programmes include Tamheer, Tawteen, Employment Support for Establishments, Wusool, and Professional Certificates Reimbursement, with support levels ranging from about SAR 1,100 to SAR 35,000 depending on the route. The common thread is workforce activation rather than research, venture capital, or innovation funding.

The fund is operationally tied to Taqat for employers and Jadarat for job seekers, which keeps the application flow close to the labour market rather than the research system. HRDF is therefore best read as a Saudization instrument: it supports hiring, training, and retention in the private sector, especially where a firm needs help moving Saudi workers into jobs that would otherwise be harder to fill or sustain.