About 50 per cent of labourers in Saudi Arabia have been forced quit the construction sector because of new labour laws, according to a report.

Experts attribute the exodus to irregularities in the visas issued by the contracting companies for the workers, the report in the Arab News said.

Corrective measures have been offered through the amnesty, granted by the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.

Some workers have chosen to leave the kingdom, while others have sought to find jobs that match the professions listed on their residence permits, the report said.

Both public and private housing projects will be affected by the exodus of labourers, as cost of construction work will increase dramatically, according to developers.

“Prior to the new labor laws, the contracting sector was an open market,” said Ahmad Al-Obaikan, head of real estate and contractors committee at the Taif Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He confirmed that a majority of workers in the contracting sector have left during the ongoing grace period, the report said.

“The time-frame for the amnesty is not sufficient for workers to correct their status, in view of the congestion and long processing time at the Passport Departments across the kingdom,” he was quoted as saying.