Qatarization

Last updated

Qatarization (or Qatarisation) is a governmental initiative devised to increase the number of Qatari citizens employed in public and private sectors. [1] The target is 50% of the workforce in the Industry and Energy sector. [2] Qatarization is one of the focuses of the Qatar National Vision 2030. [1]

Contents

While the expatriate population has rapidly grown since the late 20th century, the Qatari population has increased only at a marginal rate. Therefore, as a means to decrease dependence on foreign labor, the Qatari government has heavily prioritized Qatarization in recent years. [3]

History

The first Qatarization scheme was formulated in 1962, with Qatari Labor Law No. 3, which stipulated that Qatari nationals are to be given first priority for filling vacant positions in the workforce. [4] A government census conducted in 1970 revealed that only 16% of the economically active population were Qatari nationals. [5] The only industry with a higher proportion of Qatari citizens to foreigners was the oil industry, which was a result of Qatarization policies. [5]

In the early 1970s, after Qatar gained independence, administrative posts in the public sector were Qatarized. This resulted in 97% of the top administrative positions in the school system being occupied by Qataris by the 1990s. [4] In May 1997, an emiri decree stipulated that at least 20% of the employees of private sector businesses must be Qatari citizens. On 1 June 2000, the most comprehensive Qatarization program went into effect with the aim of reaching a 50% national workforce in the energy sector by 2005. [4] The program fell short of its target, with Qataris comprising only 28% of the labor force in the energy sector by the deadline. [6]

Challenges

A study by the RAND Corporation found that Qatari women are twice as likely to be university-educated as males. [7] However, as a result of gender-exclusionary degrees in public universities, certain sectors are unable to benefit from the more proportionately educated female population. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Qatar</span>

Natives of the Arabian Peninsula, many Qataris are descended from a number of migratory Arab tribes that came to Qatar in the 18th century from mainly the neighboring areas of Nejd and Al-Hasa. Some are descended from Omani tribes. Qatar has about 2.6 million inhabitants as of early 2017, the vast majority of whom live in Doha, the capital. Foreign workers amount to around 88% of the population, the largest of which comprise South Asians, with those from India alone estimated to be around 700,000. Egyptians and Filipinos are the largest non-South Asian migrant group in Qatar. The treatment of these foreign workers has been heavily criticized with conditions suggested to be modern slavery. However the International Labour Organization published report in November 2022 that contained multiple reforms by Qatar for its migrant workers. The reforms included the establishment of the minimum wage, wage protection regulations, improved access for workers to justice, etc. It included data from last 4 years of progress in workers conditions of Qatar. The report also revealed that the freedom to change jobs was initiated, implementation of Occupational safety and health & labor inspection, and also the required effort from the nation's side.

The political system of Qatar runs under an authoritarian semi-constitutional monarchy with the emir as head of state and chief executive, and the prime minister as the head of government. Under the Constitution of Qatar, the partially-elected Consultative Assembly has a limited ability to reject legislation and dismiss ministers. The second general election was held in 2021; political parties are banned and all candidates had to run as independents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Qatar</span>

The Economy of Qatar is one of the highest in the world based on GDP per capita, ranking generally among the top ten richest countries on world rankings for 2015 and 2016 data compiled by the World Bank, the United Nations, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The country's economy has grown despite sanctions by its neighbors, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Mainly because the country exports primarily to Japan, South Korea, India and China, making the sanctions effectively redundant as neither Saudi Arabia nor the United Arab Emirates have imposed trading penalties such as tariffs or embargoes on any of these countries for trading with Qatar, or offering incentives such as discounts for their own energy exports to reduce Qatari exports.

Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is a state-led non-profit organization in Qatar, founded in 1995 by then-emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his second wife Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned.

The education system in Qatar is jointly directed and controlled by the Supreme Education Council (SEC) and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) at all levels. The SEC is responsible for overseeing independent schools, whereas the MOE is responsible for providing support to private schools. Formal schooling officially began in 1956. Primary schooling is obligatory for every child and is free in public schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education City</span> Campus in Al Rayyan, Qatar

Education City is an educational and research hub in Qatar situated in Al Rayyan Municipality and forming a key part of the Doha Metropolitan Area. Developed by the Qatar Foundation, the 12 square kilometres (4.6 sq mi) property houses various educational facilities, including satellite campuses of eight international universities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qatar</span> Country in West Asia

Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares its sole land border with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf, separates Qatar from nearby Bahrain. The capital is Doha, home to over 80% of the country's inhabitants, and the land area is mostly made up of flat, low-lying desert.

The state of human rights in Qatar is a concern for several non-governmental organisations, such as the Human Rights Watch (HRW), which reported in 2012 that hundreds of thousands of mostly South Asian migrant workers in construction in Qatar risk serious exploitation and abuse, sometimes amounting to forced labour. Qatar is an authoritarian and de facto absolute monarchy under the House of Thani. Qatari law also does not permit the establishment of political bodies or trade unions. Awareness of human rights abuses in Qatar grew internationally after Qatar's controversial selection to stage the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doha</span> Capital and largest city of Qatar

Doha is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the country's population. It is also Qatar's fastest growing city, with over 80% of the nation's population living in Doha or its surrounding suburbs, known collectively as the Doha Metropolitan Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Qatar</span>

Qatar is an Islamic state with multi-religious minorities like most of the Persian Gulf countries with waves of migration over the last 30 years. The official state religion is Sunni Islam. The community is made up of Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and small groups of Buddhists and Baha’is. Muslims form 65.5% of the Qatari population, followed by Christians at 15.4%, Hindus at 14.2%, Buddhists at 3.3% and the rest 1.9% of the population follow other religions or are unaffiliated. Qatar is also home to numerous other religions mostly from the Middle East and Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Qatar</span>

Women's rights in Qatar are restricted by the country's male guardianship law - currently the only remaining country in the Gulf region with such laws - and influenced by the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam. Both women and men were enfranchised in the country at the same time. Labour force participation rates of Qatari women are above the world average and among the highest in the Arab World, which comes mainly as a result of an increasing number of Qatari women who are attaining academic degrees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yousef Hussain Kamal Al Emadi</span> Qatari Economist and Politician

Yousef Hussain Kamal is a Qatari economist and politician who served as the Minister of Economy and Finance from 1998 to 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japan School of Doha</span> School

The Japan School of Doha is a Japanese international school located in Doha, Qatar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass media in Qatar</span>

The mass media in Qatar relays information and data in Qatar by means of television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines and the internet. Qatar has established itself as a leading regional figure in mass media over the past decade. Al Jazeera, a global news network which was established in 1996, has become the foundation of the media sector. The country uses media to brand itself and raise its international profile.

Qatar National Vision 2030 is a development plan launched in October 2008 by the General Secretariat for Development Planning in the State of Qatar. The aim of QNV 2030 is to "transform Qatar into an advanced society capable of achieving sustainable development" by 2030. The plan's development goals are divided into four central pillars: economic, social, human, and environmental development. The government seeks to meet development goals by developing a strong bureaucratic framework and implementing strategies to address the challenges presented in human development reports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India–Qatar relations</span> Bilateral relations

India–Qatar relations refers to the bilateral ties between India and Qatar. India maintains an embassy in Doha, while Qatar maintains an embassy in New Delhi and a consulate in Mumbai.

Workforce nationalization is a government initiative that can be described as the recruitment and employee development to encourage or often require the employment of native-born population in certain jobs or industry sectors, thus reducing a country‘s dependency on an expatriate workforce. These efforts have been defined as a multi-level process through which reliance on the expatriate workforce is reduced and native-born population is prepared to take up jobs performed by expatriates. Such preparation enables native-born employees to perform their jobs equally as well as, if not better than, expatriates in the shortest possible period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qataris</span> Native Arab population of Qatar

Qataris are the nationals of the State of Qatar, located on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East.

Migrant workers in the Gulf Cooperation Council region involves the prevalence of migrant workers in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Together, these six countries form the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), established in 1981. The GCC cooperates on issues related to economy and politics, and the subject of migrant workers constitutes a substantial part of the council's collaboration. All of the GCC countries are dependent on migrant labor to bolster and stimulate economic growth and development, as the GCC countries possess an abundance of capital while the domestic labor capacity is low. Although migrant workers in the Persian Gulf region amount to no more than 10% of all migrants worldwide, they constitute a significant part of the populations of their host countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Qatar relations</span> Bilateral relations

China – Qatar relations are the bilateral relations between the People's Republic of China and the State of Qatar. China has an embassy in Doha, while Qatar has an embassy in Beijing. With diplomatic relations first formed in 1988, Qatar is a strategic ally of China, and the two countries maintain a strong relationship.

References

  1. 1 2 "Qatarization". Qatar Foundation. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "Qatarization". Qatar Chemical Company Ltd. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  3. ↑ Maryam Al-Subaiey. "Qatarization Policy – Implementation Challenges" (PDF). Brookings Doha Center. p. 3. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Dominic J. Brewer; Catherine H. Augustine; Gail L. Zellman; Gery W. Ryan; Charles A. Goldman; Gery Ryan (2007). Education for a New Era: Design and Implementation of K-12 Education Reform in Qatar. Rand Corporation. p. 19.
  5. 1 2 Abdulla Juma Kobaisi. "The Development of Education in Qatar, 1950–1970" (PDF). Durham University. p. 9. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  6. ↑ "Facing Human Capital Challenges of the 21st Century" (PDF). RAND-Qatar Policy Institute. 2008. p. 79. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "Facing Human Capital Challenges of the 21st Century" (PDF). RAND-Qatar Policy Institute. 2008. p. 61. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  8. ↑ Maryam Al-Subaiey. "Qatarization Policy – Implementation Challenges" (PDF). Brookings Doha Center. p. 8. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.