DOHA: The Ministry of Labour has spotlighted Law No. (12) of 2024, pertaining to the nationalization of jobs in the private sector, which was recently promulgated by His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
This legislation aligns with Qatar National Vision 2030, particularly within the pillar of human development, by facilitating strategic investments and creating opportunities for employment and training for Qatari citizens. It also supports the Third National Development Strategy, which aims to effect a fundamental transformation towards a more productive labour market, focusing on high-skill jobs. This transformation will be achieved by leveraging a highly skilled Qatari talent pool while also attracting foreign talents with advanced skills.
The law seeks to significantly increase the effective participation of the national workforce in private sector institutions and companies, opening up new employment and career opportunities for Qataris and the children of Qatari women, thereby maximizing the utilization of qualified national competencies.
In this context, the ministry clarified that the primary objectives of the law include enhancing the attractiveness of the labour market to the national workforce, increasing the ability of companies to attract and integrate citizens, encouraging Qatari participation in the private sector, ensuring job stability for national cadres, developing the professional skills of the national workforce, meeting the labour market’s demand for qualified personnel, and incentivizing private sector companies and establishments to increase the participation of the national workforce.
The ministry further explained that the entities subject to nationalization under the law include:
- Employers who are natural persons managing private establishments registered in the commercial register.
- Commercial companies operating in the state, whether state-owned, state-participated, or privately owned.
- Private non-profit institutions, sports institutions, associations, and similar entities.
The ministry announced that it will develop a job nationalization plan for the private sector by classifying entities based on size, workforce, and job types, with the plan encompassing policies for training, employment, qualification, and university scholarship programmes.
The ministry also emphasized that the provisions of the Job Nationalization Law address many challenges that have previously hindered nationalization efforts, establishing the conditions and procedures necessary to make the private sector more attractive to Qataris and the children of Qatari women, thereby fulfilling their professional and career aspirations.
Key provisions of the law include:
- Granting financial incentives to beneficiaries, including Qataris and the children of Qatari women.
- Offering various benefits, facilities, and privileges to entities covered by the nationalization scheme under the law.
- Employing, training, and qualifying Qataris and the children of Qatari women seeking employment in accordance with the policies, plans, and programs established by the Ministry.
The law also empowers the Ministry of Labour to provide incentives, facilities, and privileges, as well as to sponsor citizens for the completion of their university studies in coordination with relevant authorities to prepare them for private sector roles.
To ensure job security for Qatari citizens and provide a stable work environment, the law mandates the issuance of standard employment contract templates for job nationalization, which will be binding on entities subject to the law’s provisions.
The Ministry of Labour underscored its ongoing efforts to enhance the participation of national cadres in the labour market, noting its role in the employment of Qataris and the children of Qatari women across various private sector institutions.
In light of the enactment of the Job Nationalization Law, the ministry will play a pivotal role in qualifying citizens through the development of training and development programs in partnership with the private sector, aimed at enhancing their skills and preparing them for the labour market, as well as monitoring the extent to which companies comply with nationalization policies.