Law on Nationalization of Jobs Aims to Support Private Sector

HE Minister of Labour Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri

HE Minister of Labour Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri stressed that the advancement of an effective and highly productive workforce in the State of Qatar requires finding effective mechanisms to develop work environment in the government, private and mixed sectors, pointing to the need for the solidarity and cooperation of all relevant parties, in a way that contributes to the successful implementation of the national strategy and achieving its results and targets.

HE the Minister of Labour noted that the law on nationalization of jobs in the private sector is one of the most prominent laws that will play a pivotal role in achieving the goals of the National Strategy for Effective and Highly Productive Workforce, stressing that the law aims to support the private sector and provide it with qualified national competencies.

Speaking during the discussion panel organized by the Ministry of Labour today on the sidelines of the launch of the National Strategy for Effective and Highly Productive Workforce 2024-2030, HE Dr. Al Marri explained that there are many concerned entities that partner with the Ministry of Labour in implementing the strategy, including the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, as well as private and mixed sectors, which will have a fundamental role in achieving the part related to the national workforce and increasing the rates of its effective participation in the national economy.

Highlighting the strategy's key components, His Excellency said that the comprehensive national strategy for the labour sector in the State of Qatar was launched today, in which many parties cooperate to reach these national targets together in 2030.

His Excellency added that the strategy looks holistically at the workforce sector in government agencies and private and mixed sectors. Therefore, there are many initiatives and projects that include the workforce in the government sector to ensure increased productivity and sustainable employment, while other initiatives specialize in raising the participation rates of the national workforce to reach 57.6 percent compared to 54.2 percent in 2021.

There is another important axis, which is the focus on raising and improving the level of skills and experiences in the work environment, His Excellency added, stressing that the Ministry seeks, through the implementation of a number of initiatives, to raise the percentage of skilled workers from 37 percent to 46 percent of the total workforce in the country.

HE the Minister of Labour pointed out that the goal of the law on nationalization of jobs in the private sector is to support the private sector and not to pose challenges to private sector companies, noting that the government stands by the private sector and supports it. Therefore, there are a set of incentives, privileges and facilities that help companies attract citizens.

Through the law, there are a series of initiatives that will be implemented, most notably granting financial incentives to beneficiaries from Qataris and children of Qatari women, and granting many advantages, facilities and privileges to entities subject to the provisions of this law and included in the nationalization plan, along with employing, training and qualifying Qataris and children of Qatari women seeking work in accordance with the policies, plans and programs set by the Ministry, His Excellency added.

HE Dr. Al Marri pointed out that within the framework of the Ministry of Labour's implementation of the law and achieving the desired goals, there are many obligations on the entities subject to the provisions of the law, including notifying the Ministry of all available jobs and the conditions that must be met by the candidate, the specified wage, in addition to data on those appointed in accordance with the provisions of the law on nationalization of jobs in the private sector, data on all Qatari and non-Qatari workers, and any other data requested by the relevant department.

His Excellency stressed, during the discussion session, that the law on nationalization of jobs in the private sector is like other laws issued by the state, indicating once again that there are obligations that require those in charge of the entities subject to the provisions of the law to adhere to them, and that there must be deterrent measures for anyone who violates the provisions of the law.

He added that the law has several deterrent measures, according to the type of violation. There are penalties and measures included in Article 11 of the law to deter violators of the obligations stipulated in the law, and there are also severe penalties in Article 12 of the law, which deals with the fraud and taking advantage of the law's benefits without right.

HE the Minister of Labour explained that there are two types of penalties and punishments in the event of violating the nationalization law. The first type includes penalties and deterrent measures for entities that do not abide by the Ministry's decisions to achieve the objectives of the law. A written warning is initially issued, followed by the suspension of the transactions of the violating entity with the Ministry for 3 months, and the imposition of a financial penalty with the violator being obligated to remove the causes of the violation within three months.

He added that the second type includes severe penalties, such as an imprisonment for a period not exceeding 3 years and a fine of one million riyals or one of the two penalties.

In conclusion, HE Minister of Labour Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri noted that the job nationalization law came to support the private sector and that an imprisonment for a period not exceeding 3 years and a fine of one million riyals, or one of these two penalties, are linked to persons or entities that use fraudulent methods to obtain facilities, privileges, incentives or advantages without right.

In her speech during the discussion panel, Assistant Undersecretary for Expatriate Labour Affairs at the Ministry of Labour Sheikha Najwa bint Abdulrahman Al-Thani said that the Third National Development Strategy aims to make a radical shift towards a more productive labour market focusing on jobs that require high skills. She indicated that there are initiatives and projects that aim to reach 24 percent of expatriate workers with high skills, which contributes to raising productivity as expatriate workers are part of the workforce in the State of Qatar.

She pointed out that in order to achieve the targeted rates, the recruitment policy will be reformed to enhance its ability to attract high-skilled workers and move to a skills-based system, increase the issuance of visas for highly skilled expatriates, improve their employment procedures, and adopt new types of visas for entrepreneurs, freelancers, students, and elite talent.

Speaking about the key initiatives related to the expatriate labour sector, Sheikha Najwa bint Abdulrahman Al-Thani said that the strategy was based on several effective initiatives, including several projects that will contribute to achieving the national targets. She noted that with regard to the expatriate labour sector, the strategy of a highly productive and efficient workforce seeks to increase the ability of the work environment to attract and retain skilled workers in the labour market.

She revealed that one of these initiatives seeks to update recruitment policies to facilitate access to employment and retention of talent, including launching new visa categories and simplifying related procedures.

She added that these initiatives will include projects such as accelerating the implementation of the "Mustaqel" program to implement new types of visas for entrepreneurs, freelancers, talents, and research students, reforming the current work visa system to link it to skill levels and enable the attraction of expatriates with specific high skills, and simplifying procedures for obtaining visas, recruitment, and employment, especially for employers in priority sectors (such as implementing the removal of the work no-objection permit to facilitate job mobility and establishing welcome centers to assist expatriates).

The Assistant Undersecretary for Expatriate Labour Affairs concluded her speech in the discussion panel by saying that work will be done to facilitate the creation of flexible types of employment contracts to attract medium to high-skilled workers to the private sector and improve working conditions and welfare to promote an attractive and productive work environment through implementing projects related to updating laws and executive regulations to stimulate new methods of work, especially those that focus on flexible forms of employment contracts, improving the mechanism for transferring employees between companies, and enhancing and implementing occupational safety and health policies and workers' rights, with the aim of improving working conditions.

In turn, Assistant Undersecretary for National Manpower Affairs Office at the Ministry of Labour Shaikha bint Abdulrahman Al Badi emphasized that the 3rd National Strategy for Effective and Highly Productive Workforce included several targets in the private and mixed sectors. She added that in terms of the private and mixed sectors, the ministry aims for the national workforce to constitute 20 percent of the total workforce in the private and mixed sectors, compared to around 17 percent currently.

She explained that various incentives will be provided to reach these ambitious rates in 2030, including providing incentives and rewards to companies that employ Qataris and implementing large-scale programs to develop skills, designed and funded in cooperation with the private sector, including programs with leading national entities to develop the skills of Qatari youth and qualify them to work in the main targeted sectors.

She explained that these incentives also include the creation of a program to transfer specific knowledge and expertise, which gives Qatari youth and employees opportunities to explore new economic sectors, and increases the attractiveness of higher education for Qataris to ensure that the needs of the labour market are met by providing greater flexibility to move between different programs in higher education tracks and updating the governance model to align education outcomes with labour market needs.

In terms of ambitions and partnerships with various parties to overcome the challenges of qualifying the national workforce and increasing alignment with the needs of the local market, the Assistant Undersecretary for National Manpower Affairs Office confirmed that there is close cooperation with various parties directly involved in implementing and executing the strategy and reaching national targets, and this requires cooperation and solidarity from government and private entities.

She also explained that the Ministry of Labour has already begun cooperation and partnership with several entities in the private sector to qualify the national workforce, which has had a positive impact on developing the skills of the national workforce.

She said that the strategy included various projects that will be worked on in the coming years, the most important of which is a pioneering program at the regional level to develop the skills of the workforce, targeting priority sectors, and from which executive projects will emerge in partnership with relevant parties, including students in schools or universities, in addition to job seekers.

Regarding alignment with the needs of the local market, the Assistant Undersecretary for National Manpower Affairs Office said that there is indeed a challenge facing efforts to raise the percentage of the active national workforce in the private sector, which is the lack of requirements from companies and institutions for qualified cadres. Therefore, the strategy came with main and fundamental axes in partnership with educational institutions in the country, starting with directing students in schools to the most in-demand specializations, and then raising the percentage of Qatari graduates from the specializations required in the labour market through several initiatives and programs.

Concluding her speech in the discussion panel, Assistant Undersecretary for National Manpower Affairs Office at the Ministry of Labour Shaikha bint Abdulrahman Al Badi added that the key project that the ministry is working on to align the national workforce with the needs of the local market is the ministry's participation in the new government scholarship plan and the involvement of private sector institutions so that students are sent on scholarships for specializations that companies need.

(QNA)