Under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, HE the Minister of Labor Dr Ali bin Saeed bin Smaikh al-Marri launched the National Strategy for an Effective Workforce and highly productive 2024. 2030, in the presence of ministers and senior officials from the labor sector and partners.

HE Dr al-Marri affirmed that this strategy constitutes a pillar to achieve Qatar’s ambitious goals, aligning with the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Third National Development Strategy. It aims to increase citizen participation in the labor market by empowering and qualifying Qatari nationals, particularly in the private sector, while attracting a skilled workforce and protecting their rights. This will help increase productivity and promote innovation in various sectors.

In his speech, HE Dr al-Marri highlighted the critical role of the national workforce in Qatar’s development plans, emphasizing its importance in driving progress and strengthening the national economy. He stressed the importance of strengthening the contribution of the private sector and promoting economic diversification through support for non-oil sectors.

He outlined the structure of the strategy, which includes three key phases, including strengthening the foundations (2024-2025): this phase focuses on launching major initiatives to develop and improve skills through improvements in the education system and programs aimed at closing the skills gap in collaboration with employers.

Phase Two: Capacity Building (2026-2027) — This phase will involve a comprehensive review of government employment policies and efforts to stimulate private sector employment growth.

Third Phase: Achieving Transformation (2028-2030) – This phase will intensify efforts to build skills while increasing incentives to encourage the hiring of Qatari nationals in the private sector.

HE the Minister of Labor explained the aspirations of the strategy to achieve eight key outcomes, including an increase in labor productivity by more than 2% per year and an increase in Qatari labor force participation from 54% to 58 %. Additionally, it aims to maintain sustainable levels of public employment and keep unemployment rates low.

His Excellency highlighted the goal of increasing the proportion of Qatari nationals in the private and mixed sectors from 17% to 20%, with the aim of integrating 16,000 Qatari nationals into the private sector. He highlighted that 6,000 Qatari nationals have been employed in the private sector over the past three years.

Addressing the expatriate workforce, HE Dr al-Marri highlighted the objective of the strategy to attract highly skilled expatriate workforce, increasing their share from 20% to 24% of the total expatriate workforce. The strategy also aims to increase decent work opportunities in the private sector and improve the well-being of workers.

Successfully implementing the strategy and achieving its goals by 2030 will require the launch of 16 initiatives and 55 projects, tailored to specific target groups and implementing entities, including national workers, labor expatriate work and operational environments in the public and private sectors. .

He indicated that priorities for 2024-2025 will focus on essential projects, such as aligning educational outcomes with skills required in the labor market. The Workforce Planning Committee actively ensures that educational outcomes meet market demands through clear data-driven methodologies regarding specialization and skills gaps. (QNA)

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He welcomed the government’s support for salaries aimed at incentivizing Qatari citizens to work in the private sector. This initiative began with the publication, on an experimental basis, of the law on localization of jobs in the private sector, the full implementation of which is planned for April 2025.

Additionally, HE Dr al-Marri addressed the priority of reforming employment-based visa systems, establishing skills-based criteria and updating recruitment policies to facilitate acquisition and retention talents. He highlighted the implementation of the “Mustaqel” project aimed at introducing new visa categories for entrepreneurs and skilled professionals, as well as flexible employment contracts to attract medium and high-skilled workers to the private sector.

He highlighted the need to simplify visa, recruitment and employment processes, particularly in priority sectors, noting improvements to comprehensive digital services to streamline approvals and improve recruitment of highly skilled workforce thanks to the upgrade of 67 electronic services.

The Minister of Labor reaffirmed the importance of achieving the objectives set out in the National Strategy for an Efficient and Highly Productive Workforce 2024-2030. He stressed the need for collaboration between the public and private sectors to ensure effective implementation, which will have a positive impact on achieving the objectives of the strategy. (QNA)