Minister of Labour Unveils Workforce Strategy to Boost Skilled Expatriate Labour by 2030.

Doha: Minister of Labour Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri announced the launch of the National Strategy for an Effective and Highly Productive Workforce 2024 - 2030, aiming to increase the proportion of high-skilled expatriate labour from 20% to 24% within the total expatriate workforce. The strategy also aims to improve job opportunities in the private sector and enhance worker welfare. According to Qatar News Agency, the strategy's successful implementation and achievement of its goals by 2030 will involve the execution of 16 initiatives and 55 projects. These will target specific groups, including national workers, expatriate labour, and operational environments across both public and private sectors. Dr. Al Marri highlighted priorities for 2024 and 2025, focusing on essential projects like aligning educational outputs with labour market demands. The Workforce Planning Committee is actively working to ensure educational outcomes align with market needs, using data-driven methodologies to address gaps in speci alisations and skills. He praised government initiatives supporting wages to encourage Qatari citizens to enter the private sector workforce. This effort began with the trial implementation of the Law on Job Localization in the private sector, with full enforcement expected by April 2025. Dr. Al Marri also prioritized reforms in employment-based visa systems, including establishing skill-based criteria and updating recruitment policies to improve talent acquisition and retention. The "Mustaqel" project aims to create new visa categories for entrepreneurs and skilled professionals, along with flexible employment contracts to attract mid- to high-skilled workers to the private sector. He emphasized the importance of simplifying visa, recruitment, and employment processes, especially in priority sectors. Improvements in digital services aim to streamline approvals and enhance the recruitment of high-skilled labour through the upgrade of 67 electronic services. In conclusion, the Minister of Labour stressed t he importance of achieving the objectives of the National Strategy for an Effective and Highly Productive Workforce 2024 - 2030. He called for collaboration between the public and private sectors to ensure effective implementation, which he believes will positively impact the strategy's goals.