The Qatar Ministry of Labour (“Ministry”) recently announced the launch of its National Strategy for an Effective and Highly Productive Workforce 2024 – 2030 (“Strategy”). The Strategy aims to increase citizen participation in the local labour market with a particular focus on the private sectors, while also continuing to attract skilled labour to the country.
The Strategy comprises three phases:
- Phase One: Strengthening Foundations (2024-2025) – This phase seeks to build and enhance skills through major initiatives in the education system and develop talent in collaboration with employers.
- Phase Two: Building Capacities (2026-2027) – The second phase will entail a comprehensive review of government employment policies, in addition to stimulating job growth in the private sector.
- Phase Three: Achieving Transformation (2028-2030) – The third phase will intensify skill-building efforts while increasing incentives to encourage the hiring of Qatari nationals in the private sector.
Overall, the Strategy is designed to achieve eight key outcomes, including a labour productivity increase of over 2% annually, and a rise in Qatari participation in the workforce from 54% to 58%. Additionally, it aims to maintain sustainable levels of government employment and keep unemployment rates low.
The Strategy also aims to increase the proportion of Qatari nationals in the private and mixed sectors from 17% to 20%, with a goal of integrating 16,000 Qatari nationals into the private sector. Currently, 6,000 Qatari nationals have been employed in the private sector over the past three years. Additionally, the Strategy seeks to attract highly skilled expatriate labour, increasing that segment of the workforce from 20% to 24%.
To achieve these goals, the Ministry intends to launch 16 initiatives and 55 projects, tailored to specific target groups operating in both the public and private sectors. An example of such initiatives is the “Mustaqel” project to introduce new visa categories for entrepreneurs and skilled professionals.
