Experts gather for GCC Labour Market Symposium

Solutions to enhance the development of the region’s labour market and upgrade its human capabilities are being sought amongst GCC experts this week.

The 2007 GCC Labour Market Symposium, being hosted in Qatar by the General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP), will provide a forum for experts and policy makers to agree these workable solutions as part of the regions’ overall socio-economic development.

The 3 day Symposium will take place from 29 to 31 October at the Millennium Hotel in Doha. Academics and labour-market experts from around the region will be speaking at the event, including representatives from the World Bank and the International Labour Organization.

The agenda will focus on effective analysis and policy best-practice and one of the main considerations will be about how to improve skills and competencies, and generate new job opportunities for GCC nationals. Education and knowledge-transfer will therefore be a key theme at the Symposium.

The Director General of the GSDP, Sheikh Hamad bin Jabor Al Thani, says that this Symposium will be an excellent learning opportunity for Qatar, where policy makers are continuing to explore how to enhance labour market participation through the development of a ‘knowledge-based economy’.

“In Qatar, we have realized that our most important asset for our country’s sustainable development is human resources – in whom knowledge is the best investment. Developing an economy which is knowledge-based is something we are championing as a mechanism for providing stability and direction to the region’s Labour Market,” says Sheikh Hamad.

There are limited spaces for members of the public interested in attending the Symposium. Please contact Ahmad Menne (GSDP) on + 974 495 8862 amenne@planning.gov.qa for information.

30/09/2007

LMS Project Managers Hold Second Meeting

Doha- In response to the directives issued by the Chairman of the Labour Market Strategy (LMS) Oversight Committee, HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jabor bin Jassim Al Thani, the LMS project managers held their second meeting scheduled to focus on the measures adopted for further enhancement of the strategy. The meeting was headed by the General Coordinator of the LMS Development Project, Dr. Hassan Al Mohannadi.

 Some twenty senior officials representing several government ministries and private institutions, including GSDP, Qatar Petroleum (QP), Ministry of Labour, Supreme Education Council (SEC), Supreme Council for Communication and Information Technology (ict-Qatar), Shell Global Group of Energy and Petrochemical Companies and the Institute of Administrative Development (IAD) attended the meting held at the GSDP premises.

 The meeting was held as part of the LMS Project Management Office (PMO) activities that aim at achieving quick and effective implementation of the targeted objectives, prominent of which are correcting the unbalanced situation witnessed in the LM by establishing an automated information system on to the supply and demand and bridging the existing gap between education curricula and work conditions by linking education and training to the job market needs.

The prevalence of isolated and unbalanced development policies and lack of a coordination body are among other contributing factors for this situation. "The existing training system is not convenient to the labour market requirement. The linkage between education and labour market is very weak." Dr. Hassan Al Mohannadi said.

After welcoming the participants' attendance and praising their role in the previous achievements, the General Coordinator said their presence in the meeting reflects explicit evidence that their organizations are commitment to fulfilling their obligations and providing continuous support to this vital strategic project.

Dr. Al Mohannadi said the major goal of the meeting is to examine the reasons behind the existing duplication of efforts and projects, in terms of objectives, major activities and equipment required for these projects.

 The meeting agenda also includes brief presentations on the project objectives, activities, expected deliverables, physical requirements, budget cost and the steps necessary to be adopted following this meting.

The participants have enriched the meeting discussion through their constructive remarks that led to the final recommendation on the importance of reviewing different project documents. In later stage the project documents will be compiled in a final draft that would pave the way to the implementation phase.

 

20/09/2007

PPC launches its website

August 13, 2007
 DOHA: The General Director of the General Secretariat for Developmental Planning (GSDP), H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jabor Al Thani, who is also Chairman of Permanent Population Committee (PPC), yesterday launched the e-website of the PPC on the Internet.
 The website, which hosts a wealth of new information about the PPC activities and initiatives, aims at disseminating its recent news, activities, and the population-related studies and research and the possible implications on social and economic developments in Qatar. The PPC intends to make the valuable information generated by the committee more accessible to the public and organizations.

H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jabor Al Thani said, in the launch ceremony, that the website launch is a significant step toward moving ahead with our efforts in the field of disseminating the population strategy of the State of Qatar. The new portal offers rich contents including the PPC basic issues, introduction of the committee members, its competences, responsibilities and achievements, the technical bureau at the committee, population policies in brief and detailed description on population policies' areas of concern. The website visitors can easily obtain valuable information on various areas of population studies and their role in developing vigorous population policy.

The website also provides a forum for sharing the information that the PPC regularly publishes and the latest population policy publications.
The website launch falls within the PPC plan aiming at promoting its services rendered to the public and introducing its latest news on the activities carried out by the committee and its technical bureau. The service would enable the working parties including ministries, corporations, institutions and the general public to get access into the PPC various issues on population policy in general.

The PPC is striving to demonstrate, enhance and coordinate all activities related to the development of national population policies and programs based on Qatar's constitution and social values and traditions within the GCC population strategy, in order to create conformity with the population requirements and economic and social potentials according to Qatar's Millennium Development Goals (MDG) to which it is committed as a UN Member State. The launch was attended by senior officials and technical team at the GSDP.
The website address is:

 http://www.planning.gov.qa/arabic/ppc/ar/Index.htm
 

20/09/2007

The GSDP Participates in the 29th (SESRTCIC) Board Meeting

The General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP) has recently represented the State of Qatar in the 29th Board Meeting of the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for the Islamic Countries (SESRTCIC), held in Ankara, Republic of Turkey. The SESRTCIC is the statistical arm of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

 Representatives from several OIC member states including Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Republic of Turkey, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Senegal , Republic of Tunisia, People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Republic of Senegal and the State of Qatar attended the SESRTCIC Board of Directors meeting held on September 10 and 11 this year..

 The SESRTCIC members of board of directors recommended various measures to be taken by the member states, including the expansion and increase of available national data. They also prompted the member states to create new sectoral data, such as labour market and intellectual property rights database.

 The members have also recommended that the centre shall enhance and expand its training activities in the statistical field across the region. The meeting has also recommended the dissemination of the SESRTCIC technical reports and study findings as well as providing broader access to widely diversified information on the internet.

 The board meeting has also recommended that the OIC may examine a proposal on holding extensive training courses on the regional level, such as training programmes for Arab or African countries, members of the OIC. The meeting has also recommended, among other things, ways to adopt a common methodology and uniform use of terminology and concepts used by the statistical agencies in the member states.

 The SESRTCIC has approved a recommendation that the GSDP shall be considered the official coordinator between the centre's activities and the State of Qatar and to organise complex training programs in statistics, financed by the centre, to be hosted by Qatar. The concerned authorities in Qatar shall then forward to the SESRTCIC the required training programs and define the priorities and training needs. The meeting also approved Qatar's proposal on the electronic database linkage among all member states.

The centre agreed to participate in the forthcoming "GCC Labour Market" forum, scheduled to be hosted by the GCC Secretariat General in Riyadh, in October this year and the Arab Statistical Conference to be organised by Qatar Statistics Authority late this year.

11/09/2007

Labor Force Survey 2007

Specialists in Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA) started preparatory works for the Labor Force Sample Survey 2007, paving the way for the execution of the filed works in October 2007 , and in association with the concerned State agencies in identifying their requirements from the survey.

This survey shall fulfill the requirements of QSA, concerned agencies, decision makers, researchers and other data users. The survey will provide an integrated base of data useful for planning harmonizing policies between education outputs and labor market through the projects of Labor Market Strategy and the Permanent Population Committee.

The survey aims at estimating the size of the labor force in terms of:

 1. Distribution of the labor force according to the different characteristics (age, sex, educational status, marital status, employment status, economic activity, occupation, sector …etc)
 2. measuring the size of employment and unemployment as well as recognizing characteristics and attitudes of the unemployed, inasmuch as to achieve the following objectives:

 • Observing changes in employment and unemployment rates especially among Qatari citizens influenced by factors of supply and demand in the labor market.
 • Studying social and economic characteristics of the labor force, focusing on unemployed specially these never worked before.
• Drawing policies and setting up programs essential for employment to encounter growing unemployment phenomenon.
 • Verifying and checking up the success of any policies and programs currently implemented to cure unemployment phenomenon.
 • Verifying and checking the validity of certain wildly spread suppositions regarding reasons behind unemployment phenomenon e.g. youth refrainment with respect to certain jobs or working in the private sector …etc.
 • Reviewing social and economical conditions of the households specially these of the unemployed to identify the influence of these conditions (number of households members, number of employed and the unemployed among them …etc.)

3. Studying the relation between occupation and educational specialization.
4. To look into the reasons for the refrainment of young people to work in the private sector and to take handicraft occupations.
5. building up to date data base and the provide all information and statistics needed for carrying out research, studies, comparisons and monitoring indicators at the level of the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council as well as the international level.

According to the setup plan, the survey will be executed according to the following stages:- click here

Labor Force Sample Survey 2006: click here.

13/08/2007

Qatar University holds lectures on LM in Qatar

Qatar University (QU) has recently organized two lectures on "the Labour Market (LM) in the State of Qatar", as part of its summer program activities. The lectures were delivered by the General Coordinator of the Labour Market Strategy Development Project, Dr. Hassan Ibrahim Al Mohannadi. The QU summer program aims at introducing the latest university activities to the high school students in the country.

The two lectures marked the ongoing event of QU's summer program through inviting speakers of interest in order to promote knowledge among high school students.

In his motivating lectures, Dr. Hassan Al Mohannadi focused on LMS objectives in the State of Qatar, which, he said, is based on the nature of the labour market with special emphasis on its significance in supporting Qatari citizen and proposing recommendations on market offers on the light of the factors that drive and activate the market for achieving more diversified employment of Qataris and more effective and efficient private sector, in consistency with building blocks of a diversified economy.

Dr. Hassan Al Mohannadi highlighted, in his address, the following major LM-related remarks:

1. The Qatari population is not large.
2. The importance of filling the existing gap between education curricula and work conditions by linking education to the job market needs.
3. Dispersion of the labour market information.
4. Prevalence of isolated and unbalanced development policies and lack of coordination body providing and fostering strategic direction or harnessing resources.
5. Contradictory performance in productivity of public sector employees.
6. The majority of the Qatari citizens are reluctant to take up jobs in the private sector. They look for cushy government jobs where they have access to a lot of incentives and ideal working conditions.
7. Conditions set for employment of Qataris are not compatible with the enforcement of Qatarization policy.
8. The increasing demand for professional skills in wide spread investments and its impact on weakening nationalization policy.
9. Qatari nationals are attracted by the monetary incentives offered in the job market only by the public sector, which is one of the most formidable challenges the planners in the country face in their drive to push nationals into private employment.
10. The existing training system is not convenient to the LM requirements. Overall, the linkages between education and the labour market are weak.
11. There is a large male deficit in pre-high secondary education in Qatar.
12. A common criterion is not adopted by the concerned authorities when issuing entry visas.
13. Substantive steps taking Qatar down the path of economic progress that generates specific professional qualifications which was not existed among Qataris.

The lecturer later outlined the recommendations, being activated by the General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP) in collaboration with several ministries and government agencies. Dr. Hassan pointed out that priority shall be given to the following:

o The importance of establishing an institutional body responsible for LM development.
o Creation of a national framework for educational qualifications required by the LM.
o Reviewing the existing entry visa system, under which foreign workers flow into the country.
o The importance of developing the existing performance-based employment within the private sector.

In his In his presentations, Dr. Hassan Al Mohannadi has focused on the role of learning and education as tools to improve the labour market, stressing the importance of linking the educational curricula and complex subjects to the future LM as well as developing a vision that facilitates the method of empowering the students with the knowledge and culture required by the labour market in Qatar.

He focused on Qatar's labour market, its trends and issues, developing the skills and responsiveness of Qataris so they can be a part of the workforce, coordinate the development and implementation of more effective labour market policies across all sectors and upgrade the productivity of the public service workforce.

Dr. Hassan Al Mohannadi also stressed the need to the development of various training programs. "The training programs is required to be developed and diversified by professional centres or through adopting on-job training", Dr. Hassan said.

He added that the universities and high training institutions in the country are strongly recommended to be supported so that these institutions could play a greater role in creating qualified graduates specialized in specific areas required by the industrial sector, and the petrochemical industries in particular.

" Qatar's economic growth already has huge momentum, however, to enhance this and our global competitiveness, we need to carefully create strong private sector that meets the development requirements", Dr. Hassan remarked.

He noted that the LMS is keen to examine some methods that encourage students to join technical studies in universities, such as engineering, economy, advanced computer science and latest technologies.

He also stressed the importance of addressing the issue of male deficit in different educational levels and finding a solution to enhance their low education qualifications.

He explained, to the high school students, the Qatar LM model stressing its significance in predicting the future supply and demand in the labour market.

Dr. Hassan concluded his lectures by encouraging the students to join areas of specializations that are currently witnessing high demand and expected to continue to be attractive in the Qatari job market, in view of the increasingly more strident demand. He also focused on the importance of creativity and excellence in appropriate profession that accommodates fresh graduates entering the job market.

09/08/2007

Qatar GDP Reaches QR 51 Billion During Second Quarter, 2007

The Bureau of Statistics released preliminary estimates of Qatar Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at current prices by kind of economic activity for the second quarter, April/June 2007. Estimates indicate that the GDP reached QR 50.7 Billion, compared with QR 48.0 Billion during corresponding quarter, April/June 2006, with a growth rate of 5.59 %, while it reached QR 44.7 Billion during the preceding quarter, January/March 2007, with a growth rate of 13.38 %.

The increase in the growth rates was due to the increase in the oil prices during this quarter ( April/June ) together with the increase in the growth rates of the majority of other economic activities. The contribution of Mining and Quarrying sector (which comprises extraction of oil and gas ) grew from 54 % during preceding quarter, January/March 2007, with a value of QR 24.2 Billion, to 61 % in second quarter, April/June 2007, with a value of QR 31.1 Billion.

The majority of other non-oil activities achieved increases in their growth rates during the same period as a result of the increase in their value added. Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Business Services came on top in terms of relative importance among non-oil sectors, where its contribution was 8.6 %, with a value of QR 4.3 Billion, followed by Government Services, with a contribution of 8.6 %, with a value of QR 4.3 Billion. In third place comes Manufacturing Industries with a contribution of 7.6 %, and a value of QR 3.8 Billion.

For more details, click here  

30/07/2007

1.67% Increase in CPI During Second Quarter, 2007

Bureau of Statistic released Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures for the second quarter of 2007 where it reached 147.86, related to 2001 prices, compared to 145.42 during the first quarter of the same year i.e. an increase of 1.67 % .

The increase concentrated mainly on garments and footwear group, where the growth was 3.95% , while it reach 2.08 % for the group of rent , fuel and energy compared to first quarter of 2007

A relative stability was observed in the rent market during second quarter compared to the proceeding one, where the increase in this group reached 9.24%.

This is followed by an increase of 1.71% for the group of entertainment, recreation, culture and likewise 1.51% for the group of food, beverages and tobacco.

The remaining groups witnessed slight increases .

For more details, click here  

29/07/2007

Qatar organizes a forum on "Labour Market in the GCC Countries"

Based on the approval of the Ministerial Committee for Planning and Development in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) during its the 15th meeting held recently, and the directives of HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jabor Al Thani, General Director of the General Secretariat for Developmental Planning (GSDP), the GSDP will organize a forum under the title ( The Forum on the Labour Market in the GCC Countries) on October 29 – 31, this year.

HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jabor Al Thani stressed the importance of the prominent role Qatar plays in designing a national plan for the labour market development on the GCC level. He said Qatar has finalized the first phase of its Labour Market Strategy (LMS) and is currently implementing the second phase, which involves the designing of effective policies for the LM development. " Qatar is currently implementing the second phase of its LMS which focuses on creating effective policies for the development of labour market as it represents a key element for establishing sustainable and vigorous economy for Qatar", Sheikh Hamad said.

High-ranking government representatives, academics and decision makers from GCC countries, as well as international and regional experts in population and labour issues, will came together to discuss a common way forward on issues relating to the LM components as well as demographic, social and economic issues and methods of connecting these components to their social and economic causes that could be managed and monitored.

The modern trends are built on the knowledge-based economy (KBE), needs to establish an implementation mechanism, which considers the human assets as valuable resources for economic growth, while the KBE is mainly built on efforts that required developing the LM and its evolution capabilities. Furthermore, the KBE is able to set a balance between the supply and demand in the LM according to the increased high demand on skilled labourers, created by the information and communication technology.

The Forum aims at promoting appropriate tools that result in developing the LM and enhance national human capabilities through the following two major strategies:

1. On the long term; enhance the decision-making process through reliable information and knowledge dissemination.
2. On the medium and short term; improve the KBE and develop the LM.

The three day forum will consider the above strategies; explore possible and viable solutions and overall environment that enables the creation of job opportunities for the GCC nationals and enhance their capabilities.

Proposed issues:

1. The significance of the LM in social and economic development in the GCC states.
2. Characteristics of labour force in the GCC states.
3. National labour and job opportunities in the private sector.
4. Skills of foreign labour force in the GCC countries.
5. The mobility of manpower within the GCC states.
6. The Labour Laws in the GCC states.
7. The role of women's productivity in the GCC LM.
8. Transfer of technology and its impact on job localization.
9. The existing training curricula and their compliance with the LM requirements in the GCC region.
10. Decentralization of education curricula as a tool for improving capabilities of manpower in the LM.
11. LM Information System (LMIS).
12. KBE as an assessment for the recruitment of non-national labour force.

26/07/2007

Workshop in Oracle business intelligence and data warehousing projects

The Qatar Information Exchange project (QIX) hosted a two days workshop on 16th-17th July, in collaboration with Rittman Mead Consulting with the aim to progress towards the best available IT solutions concerning Oracle business intelligence and data warehousing projects.

The objective of the workshop was to explorer more about Oracle-based business intelligence & data warehousing projects, especially Oracle Warehouse Builder, Oracle BI Discoverer, Siebel Analytics, Oracle BI Standard and Enterprise Edition, Oracle BI Publisher and the Oracle Database and to assess current obstacles and challenges, as well as opportunities for QIX project.

Representatives from QIX technical team, QIX management team and some of the end users from SCFA and QSB highlighted their experience each in their area of expertise.

The workshop had sessions discussing technical issues, work plan and an open discussion to discuss end-user requirements.

24/07/2007

GSDP and PPC participate in Global Migration Forum

The General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP) and Permanent Population Committee (PPC), represented by Dr. Hassan Ibrahim Al Muhannadi, participated in the " Global Forum on Migration and Development – GFMD " held in Brussels – Belgium on July 9, 10 and 11 2007.

Themes addressed at the round table-based forum are:

Round Table 1: Human capital development and labor mobility: maximizing opportunities and minimizing risks.

Round Table 2: Remittances and other diasporas resources: increasing their net volume and development value.

Round Table 2: Enhancing policy and institutional coherence, and promoting partnerships.

The forum marked the start of a new global process designed to enhance the positive impact of migration on development by adopting a more consistent policy approach, identifying new instruments and best practices, exchanging know-how and experience about innovative tactics and methods and, finally, establishing cooperative links between the various actors involved.
The Forum's closing session reviewed and discussed the round table reports, where several positive aspects emerged from the forum.

The key added value and the positive aspects of the Forum are consistent with Qatar's trend concerning addressing expatriate issues, which considered as temporary workforce that contributes in the community development in Qatar, and consequently economic development of communities in countries of origin by remittance transfer, which results in establishing productive projects in these countries.

The GSDP Director General, HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jabor bin Jassim Al Thani, has addressed the issue during the meeting of planning Under-Secretaries in GCC states held in may 2007 in Riyadh- KSA, and stressed the importance of initiating effective coordination between the member states. The meeting assigned the State of Qatar to prepare a paper on the global forum's activities and the proposed common action to be adopted by the GCC countries.
 

10/07/2007

New Qatari Success at International Forum - Qatar National Atlas Ranks Second in the World

The State of Qatar has achieved a new success in the Geographical Information System (GIS) field. The Qatar National Atlas, produced by the GIS section in the Bureau of Statistics, has ranked second among atlases of countries participating in the 27th International Conference on Geographical Information System organized by the World's topmost GIS vendor, the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) held in San Diego, USA, during 18-22 June 2007.

This conference is one of the major international conferences specialized in Geographical Information Systems. A record number of more than 14,000 participants from 113 countries attended the conference at which the latest technology of programs, applications and projects in various fields were on display. The Qatari National Atlas was appreciated by the participants for its professional manner of presentation, smooth flow of the topics addressed and accuracy in presenting statistical data in a comprehensible manner.

It is worth-mentioning here that the Qatar National Atlas portrays an overall geographic, socio-cultural and economic picture of the country. The geographic distribution and the interrelationship of socio-economic data generated through the General Population and Houses Census carried out in 2004 and a spatio-temporal analysis based on the previous censuses conducted by the department in 1986 and 1997 has been the main focus of the study.

This issue in 421 A3 pages is the second of its type since the Qatari Social and Economic Atlas issued in 2000, which was the first of its kind in the State of Qatar reflecting a new concept in presenting statistical data.

The Atlas is in two major parts. Part One contains 83 maps covering administrative setup, physiographic and environmental conditions, infrastructure, housing and population characteristics, agriculture, industry and trade & commerce including tourism. Each theme is supported with brief explanatory notes, tables, diagrams and photos related to the topic addressed.

Part Two contains important and useful geographical information represented by 234 topographical maps showing major populated areas in Qatar. These ortho-photo maps also contain names of the main streets in Arabic and English and location of important landmarks shown through different symbols.

Two A1 size maps (Arabic/English) are also included in the side pockets of the Atlas showing geographic information including Doha and Al Rayyan streets in detail and general statistics of the country for tourist purpose and use of general public.

26/06/2007

 Workshop: Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Development in Qatar

The General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP) hosted a one day workshop on 27 June in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), with the aim to progress towards a comprehensive national strategy for SME development in Qatar.

This workshop followed a fact-finding mission conducted in Qatar by the UNDP during late April 2007, at the request of the Secretary General of the former Planning Council, and now Director General of the new GSDP, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jabor Al-Thani.

The objective of the mission was to assess current obstacles and challenges, as well as opportunities for SME development in Qatar, taking into particular account the potential contribution of SMEs to economic development, as well as their contribution towards ‘Qatarisation’.

At the workshop, UNDP representatives presented the mission findings, which include the information that was gathered from Government, public and private organizations. They presented their preliminary recommendations which were discussed amongst the government and private sector workshop participants.

Representatives from Qatar Development Bank, Total E&P, the Qatar Ministry of Energy & Industry, and the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, highlighted their experiences of their SME initiatives, and shared learnings that can be usefully related to Qatar’s SME development strategy.

For more information please contact Clare Peacock (+974 667 9601

17/06/2007

Qatar’s Labour Market Strategy managers trained to highest standard

The Managers for Qatar’s Labour Market Strategy projects have undergone training to raise their project management techniques to the highest standard.

Under the auspices of His Excellency Sheikh Hamad Bin Jabor Al-Thani, General Director of the General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP), Qatar National Project Management (QNPM) facilitated a second tailored workshop to the Labour Market Strategy project teams on 12 and 13 June. This workshop follows an initial workshop held in late January this year.

The Labour Market Strategy is a Cabinet-approved national strategy for integrating Qatar’s labour market and enhancing the workforce participation of Qataris.

QNPM was initiated to address the development of professional project-management skills within the public service. It has provided customized support to the teams working to implement the 10 initial projects of the Labour Market Strategy and its National Action Plan.

The General Coordinator of the Labour Market Strategy, Dr Hassan Al-Mohannadi, stated that using QNPM to develop the professional skills of these managers actually complements one of the outcomes that the projects themselves hope to achieve.

“One of the objectives the Labour Market Strategy is to improve the efficiency of the Public Service workforce. With the help of QNPM, our own project managers will be trained to the highest standards to ensure that these projects themselves are managed and implemented efficiently and effectively,” said Al-Mohannadi.

The project teams that will be implementing these 10 projects of the Labour Market Strategy are made up of a range of organizations. The Strategy as a whole is overseen by a multi-party Oversight Committee of nine agencies, including the General Secretariat for Developmental Planning (formerly the Planning Council), Ministry of Education, Ministry of Civil Service Affairs and Housing, Ministry of Interior, Qatar University, Qatar Foundation, Supreme Education Council/ Higher Education Institute, Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Qatar Petroleum.

For further information please contact Clare Peacock (+974) 667 9601

14/06/2007

Senior Officials recognise progress and potential of Qatar’s Labour Market Strategy

The Cabinet-approved National Action Plan for integrating Qatar’s labour market and enhancing the workforce participation of Qataris is making encouraging progress according to Senior Officials.

Plans for 10 initial projects that have been developed under Qatar’s Labour Market Strategy and its National Action Plan were reviewed positively by the Strategy’s multi-agency Oversight Committee at a meeting on 10 June.

The meeting was chaired by the General Director of the General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP), HE Sheikh Hamad Bin Jabor Al Thani. The officials in attendance included the Vice President – Education of Qatar Foundation, Dr. Abdullah Bin Saoud Al-Thani, the Manager of Public Security at the Ministry of Interior, Major-General Saad Bin Jassim Al-Khoulaifi, and Manager of Capital Security, Brigadier Mubarak Dawi, Director of Human Resources at Qatar University, Dr. Hind Jolo, Communications Manager for the Supreme Council for Education, Dr. Nawal Al-Sheikh, Member of the Board of Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Mohammed Al-Ahbabi, Director of Human Resources at the Ministry of Education, Mr. Abdullaziz Al-Kaabi, and the Director of Administration at Qatar Petroleum, Sheikh Abdulaziz Bin Jassim Al-Thani. Also in attendance was the Labour Market Strategy General Project Coordinator, Dr. Hassan Al-Mohannadi, as well as the project coordinators and Chairpersons of each project’s Steering Committee.

Sheikh Hamad pointed out that the objectives of this Strategy, and the progress so far with its 10 project plans, are being enthusiastically received amongst Senior Officials.

“We all recognize how this Strategy is working to underpin the ‘bigger picture’ vision for Qatar. Its objectives directly contribute to our human development drive, and its progress will be an important step as we plan how to build a knowledge-based economy in Qatar,” said Sheikh Hamad.

Dr Hassan Al Mohannadi, went on to describe the engagement process being undertaken to continue to inform and involve stakeholders as the Strategy and National Action Plan progress.

One example of this was the early-June workshop with the oil and gas sector, jointly hosted by the Planning Council (now GSDP) and Qatar Petroleum, where the sector’s involvement in the projects was explored.

These 10 initial projects fall under four specific areas: ‘Education, Training and Work Support’; ‘Labour Information Collection and Management’; ‘Labour Market Policy and Institutional Development’; and ‘Public Service Employment and Productivity’.

The projects will aim to achieve four key outcomes: enhance what we know about Qatar’s labour market, its trends and issues; develop the skills and responsiveness of Qataris, so that they can better participate in the workforce; coordinate the development and implementation of more effective labour market policies, across all sectors; and upgrade the productivity of the Public Service workforce.

For any related queries please contact Clare Peacock on (+974) 667 9601.

13/06/2007

Today, Wednesday June 13, 2007 the Amiri Decision No. 39 (2006), establishing the General Secretariat for Developmental Planning (GSDP)

As from this today, Wednesday June 13, 2007 the Amiri Decision No. 39 (2006), establishing the General Secretariat for Developmental Planning (GSDP), comes into force. It is to be noted that the GSDP follows and is accountable to HH the Heir-Apparent and Crown Prince. The above-mentioned Amiri Decision assigns the following functions and jurisdictions to the GSDP):

1- Setting after consultations with the higher authorities , the government agencies and after surveying the opinion of the private sector, the civil society organizations and the citizens - a long term, comprehensive vision for the purpose of development in different fields that shall include a description of the characteristics the society must have and the rights and privileges its members shall enjoy in future.

2- Preparing the general, strategic plan for the achievement of the comprehensive vision for development – stating in it the development priorities, its quantitative objectives in the economic, social and demographic fields as well as determining the mechanisms followed to achieve them – after consultation with the higher authorities , the government agencies and after surveying the opinion of the private sector and the civil society organizations.

3- Conveying the comprehensive vision and the development, general, strategic plan –after approval- to the concerned authorities and the civil society organizations.

4- After being assigned by the Heir Apparent or the General Secretary, preparing researches and carrying out studies related to the comprehensive vision and the development, general, strategic plan.

5- Explaining the comprehensive vision and the development, general, strategic plan to the different agencies and providing assistance regarding the preparation of their executive plans.

6- Reviewing executive plans set by the different agencies and coordinating among them; ensuring their harmony with the general development, strategic plan; confirming the absence of contradiction among the executive plans provided by the different agencies in the State in addition to informing the concerned authorities and the higher authorities if found.

7- Carrying out periodic follow up of the progress in executing the plans as well as preparing reports of performance assessment and implementation follow up inclusive of the necessary corrective procedures.

8- Any tasks - in its competence -assigned to it by the Heir Apparent.

12/06/2007

Meet discusses steps towards Qatar's future development

A joint group of government and non-government agencies will recommend to higher authorities that Qatar adopts a strategy to develop itself as a knowledge-based economy (KBE). This was one outcome of a high-level meeting hosted yesterday by the Planning Council and the Qatar Foundation to discuss Qatar's future development.

The meeting was attended by more than 30 senior representatives from Qatar private and public sector agencies: Qtel, Qatar Petroleum, National Health Authority, Qatar Foundation, Qatar Science and Technology Park, ictQatar, Ministry for Urban Planning, Supreme Council for Family Affairs, Ministry of Economy and Commerce, Qatar University, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar Financial Centre and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Representatives from Amwal, Weill Cornell Medical College and iHorizons were also in attendance.

A spokesman for the Planning Council said that there was robust discussion around the options and recommendations presented by World Bank representatives who facilitated the meeting at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

World Bank KBE expert Dr Jean-Francois Rischard presented case studies.

04/06/2007

National Strategy for Qatar's labour market moves forward to reinforce Qatarization

As it moves into its next phase, Qatar's Labour Market Strategy is reinforcing the drive for Qatarization across all sectors of the workforce.

The Labour Market Strategy objectives underpin those of Qatarization -  both initiatives ultimately aim to enhance the participation of Qataris in the workforce and widen the opportunities that are available to them.

A National Action Plan for Qatar Labour Market Strategy was approved in 2006 by the Cabinet, and is now preparing to move into its next phase of project implementation. 

In order to boost the involvement of key stakeholders, a joint workshop is being hosted by the Planning Council and Qatar Petroleum to provide an update of this work to the energy sector.

According to the Secretary General of the Planning Council, H.E. Sheikh Hamad Bin Jabor Al-Thani, the Strategy and its projects can only succeed with stakeholder involvement from across all sectors of the labour market.

We appreciate the commitment that Qatar Petroleum has given to the Labour Market Strategy, and this workshop is a valuable opportunity to update and further involve experts from the oil and gas sector as our labour market strategy projects move forward, he says.

The workshop on 4^th June will be opened by H.E. Sheikh Hamad Bin Jabor Al-Thani, and the Director of Administration at Qatar Petroleum, Sheikh Abdulaziz Bin Jassim Al-Thani. 

Planning Council staff will make presentations about the Strategy, including the General Coordinator of Strategy and Director of Social Planning at the Planning Council, Dr Hassan Al-Mohannadi.

The workshop will also provide an opportunity to update on the Qatar Labour Model a Qatar-specific software used for simulating possible manpower scenarios in the future.  This update will be delivered by the Planning Councils IT Director, Saleh Al Humaidi.

The workshop participants will include representatives from the various oil and gas subsidiaries in Qatar, including Manpower Planning experts and HR Managers.  Also in attendance will be a number of the Government and NGO Steering Committee members for the projects being delivered under the National Action Plan.

Qatar Labour Market Strategy was initiated in 2005 by the Planning Council as a national effort to directly address the challenges posed within the current labour market.  It was approved by the Cabinet and a National Action Plan was launched in 2006 as a means to deliver the Strategy aims.

The first phase of Strategy incorporated a study, led by the World Bank, into how the Qatar labour market operates.  This study offered initial recommendations for tackling the challenges that exist within the labour market, such as the imbalanced proportion of the national workforce in the public and private sectors. 

These recommendations were aligned to the national vision for Qatar, aiming to develop a more dynamic and diversified economy, which will enhance the participation of Qatari nationals across all sectors of the workforce and enable a more efficient and effective public sector. 

For the design and delivery of the National Action Plan, the Labour Market Strategy engaged the support and expertise of many government and non-government stakeholders.

These organizations have worked together to design and begin delivering 10 initial projects for the next phase of the Strategy, due to commence from mid-June 2007.

The initial projects will aim to achieve four key outcomes: enhance what we know about Qatar labour market, its trends and issues; develop the skills and responsiveness of Qataris, so that they can better participate in the workforce; coordinate the development and implementation of more effective labour market policies, across all sectors; and upgrade the productivity of the Public Service workforce.

Qatar Petroleum is one of several key stakeholders that have committed to a number of these projects under the National Action Plan.

For further information please contact Clare Peacock (+974) 667 9601

27/05/2007

Qatar's GDP at Current Prices Reaches QR 45 Billion During First Quarter, 2007

The Statistics Department of the Planning Council's General Secretariat released preliminary estimates of Qatar's Gros s Domestic Product (GDP) at current prices by kind of economic activity for the first quarter, January/March 2007.Estimates indicate that the GDP reached QR 44.7 Billion. Mining and
Quarrying Sector (which comprises extraction of oil and gas) is still the biggest shareholder to the GDP with a relative importance of 54%during that period.

Other activities achieved positive growth rates as a result of the remarkable increase in their value added. Government Services activity came on top in terms of relative importance since its contribution was 12.4%with a value of QR 5.5 Billion. In the second place comes Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Business Services Sector with a share of 9.52%and a value of QR 4.3 Billion.

Thirdly, comes manufacturing Sector (which comprises products of refined petroleum, chemical materials, iron and steel and the manufacturing industries with a share of 8.41%and a value of QR 3.8 Billion By excluding Mining and Quarrying activities (which comprises extraction of oil and gas) the GDP comes to QR 20.5 Billion i.e.46%of the gross domestic product at current prices. This can be attributed to the fact that the Qatari economy is moving towards diversification of the GDP sources.

Reviewing estimates of non-oil activities, we will find that government services comes on top in terms of relative importance with a share of 27%,followed by Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Business Services with a share of 20.1%, Manufacturing Industries with a share of 18.4%,and ranking
fourth is Building and Construction activities with a share of 13.9%

For more details please click here.

23/05/2007

Consumers Price Index, First Quarter, 2007

The Consumers' price index reached 145.42 during the first quarter of 2007, related to 2001 prices, compared with 140.09 during the fourth quarter of 2006 i.e. an increase of 3.81%

Rents, fuels and energy, whose share represents more than 20% of households' consumption, was the major cause of this increase whereas the price index of this group has risen by 9.24% during the first quarter, 2007, compared to the fourth quarter, 2006. Following, comes miscellaneous goods and services group with an increase of 1.73%, as well as furniture, textiles and home appliances group with an increase of 1.56%.

The remaining groups witnessed slight increases not exceeding 1%.

By reviewing subgroups, it will be noticed that the increase covered most of those group, with the exception of the decrease in communication, -1.33%, personal luxurious goods, -1.45% and educational services, -1.15%.

For more details please click here.

22/05/2007

Trade Balance Surplus Reaches Q.R 64.1 Billion during 2006

Qatar's Trade balance achieved a surplus of QR 64.1 Billion during 2006 with an increase of 12.2% compared with previous year, where as surplus reached QR 57.2 Billion.

Both foreign trade bulletins issued by the Statistics Department of the Planning Council in cooperation with the customs and ports General Authority reveals the following data:

Qatar's total exports of goods during 2006 reached a value of Qr. 123.9 Billion, of which QR 122.4 Billion are goods exports of national origin i.e. an increase of 34.2% in comparison with 2005 figures. Total value of re-exported goods during 2006 reached a value of QR. 1543 million which is almost the same value of re-exported good during 2005 when it reached QR 1540 Million.

Total imports of goods during 2006 reached a value of QR 59.8 Billion, that is an increase of 63.4% in comparison with 2005 figures.

The following table shows the trade balance with the major trading partners of Qatar during 2006.

Majored goods, 2006, were as follows