In Saudi Arabia, the promising NEOM City project seems to be in trouble. On Friday, Semaphore reported that NEOM is planning to lay off approximately 1,000 employees, an estimated 20% of its workforce, suggesting the Saudi government is downsizing its flagship giga project.

The relocations, anticipated to start later this year, would roll back former NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr’s policy of placing employees in an isolated construction site, three sources stated, as reported by Semafor. Employees who are transferred to the Capital will lose several benefits, such as housing and meals, extended to them at NEOM because of its remote location, resulting in a de facto pay cut.

This news came as part of ongoing reports that Saudi Arabia is dialing back its ambitious vision for NEOM, a giga-project designed to reshape the Red Sea coast with luxury beachfront resorts, a ski resort, a 170-kilometer futuristic city named “THE LINE,” and a high-tech industrial area.

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