By 2025, Qatar to cut expat workforce by 40%

The results of the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) cover story this week on education and training in the Middle East illustrate just how much work Qatar has to do if it is to produce the business leaders and profes­sionals of the future.

MEED reports that Qatar is considered to be producing the lowest quality of graduates in the region, with 48 per cent considered to be poor or very poor and 38 per cent just reaching average. Only 14 per cent of graduates are considered to be good by MEED readers, and not a single respondent says Qatar produces very good graduates

The state-run Qatar Foundation, wants to attract inter­national firms and universities to the country on the condition that Qatari nationals benefit directly from their experience, technology and expertise, but the state cannot support full-scale industrial development without relying heavily on expatriate labour.

Hence education city, sidra centre, Texas A and M uni, Carnegie Mellon uni etc etc. However, some recent reports suggest that as many as 40% of Qataris want to leave Qatar..... I highly doubt there can be any reduction in expat workforce in the next 25 years. As long as there are hydrocarbons, expats will be there to get them out of the ground, funding the Qataris to go and live the life of riley in some western country.

The Pearl GTL was originally slated to cost $6bn, costs tripled to over $18bn and Shell still went ahead with it, claiming it was still economically viable. All the joint ventures regarding oil and gas between Qatar petroluem and foreign entities are forced to accept unrealistic targets of 50% nationalisation. With giants such as Sasol Chevron, Shell, ExxonMobil etc all fighting over a tiny workforce pool of a few thousand nationals which are unqualified and inexperienced the government cannot have its cake and eat it.

Telecomms (Q-tel) has the same story and so does Kahramaa, the power and water company. Few Qataris will work in the private sector as it is more prestigious working for these government organisations.

In the long term Qataris will benefit most from, and be more interested in, learning how to invest all their petrodollars through business courses, trading arrangements and in helping the country in maintaining its role as the mediator in Arab affairs. These people will be the government of tomorrow and may have to deal with a country no longer at the forefont of energy production. To keep the country from imploding, there should be sound diversification and qualified business leaders starting from today.

(PS - the source of the initial story was Arabian Business.com If you want independent quality research and journalism on affairs in the Gulf, read MEED which is published from England and has been an award winning business magazine since 1957)

So many highly qualified and experienced professionals I know, from all sorts of industries, have left Qatar exasperated by the fact that they are thwarted at every turn and can not do their jobs properly.

The experience here curtails their professional development and they leave to go somewhere else were they can practice their trade in the manner which gives them job satisfaction - its not always about the money.

I don't go to mythical places with strange men.

-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

I know for sure since early 80s, such issue has been plannd in a way or another. But nothing materialized, rather, more dependency on expatriates.

Reason for that is the quality of consultants they get here. Or, to be more specific the consltants they like to keep here. Usually there are two categories of consultants:

First category is the consultants that try to really contribute work hard and professionally to produce proper realistic reports and studies. Such consultants are mainly kicked out for some reason.

The second category - which is prevailing here - is the category of consultants that tell the boss what the boss likes or wishes to read or hear. Such consultants continue to enrich us with strange and contradicting reports that result in complete mess.

At least we could see a qatari men doing a hard labor like in a constuction site during hot summer time...IS THIS POSSIBLE???

Come On Let your voice be heard...

I m all for it....

Qatarisation ....especially in the Construction sector.

Which country would not want to be self-sufficient?

The media didn't get it wrong again, Tonto, and it's a shame that the Peninsula has been made to publish a retraction.

The Peninsula and its Arabic sister paper were given a story from an official source and ran the story in good faith. I republished the story on Qatar Journal, so I'm having to decide this morning whether to issue a retraction. It's difficult to stand by a story when my source has caved. [Updated here]

From what I can find out, the story was mostly true. The Permanent Population Committee did produce a report recommending that the proportion of expats be reduced. It published the report when it was part of the Planning Council. The Planning Council has since changed its name to the GSDP.

The internal workings of the GSDP are not entirely open to public scrutiny. I've been waiting since June 17 for a reply to the question "What changes do you foresee in the proportion of Qataris versus expats in the population?" I have yet to receive a reply, but I did get an email saying that the person within the GSDP who I'd sent the questions to now had access to someone who might be able to answer them, but couldn't give any guarantees whether or when they might be answered. It's impossible with such limited access for the media to check any facts - if someone with an official-sounding title gives us a story, we'll run it.

It's up to the GSDP to open up its workings to the public. Below is the full list of questions they've had since June 17. I've given up trying to get any response.

--nigel

http://qatarjournal.com/

Your organization suggests how to achieve changes in Qatar's governance, society and economy. How do you judge the correct direction and pace of change?

Some of the changes you suggest are going to create tension amongst those affected. How do you decide which parts of the process are open to public scrutiny and who should be involved?

Qatar's wealth derives from the oil and gas industries, but there are plans to diversify the economy into health, education, technology and finance sectors (the so-called “knowledge-based economy”). Why is this necessary?

There has been a huge success in encouraging young women into tertiary education. How can this success be repeated with young men?

Businesses are owned by Qataris, but most are managed by expats? Is this a problem that needs to be solved?

Why aren't young Qatari graduates working in private-sector businesses?

What changes do you foresee in the proportion of Qataris versus expats in the population?

DOHA • The General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP) has issued a statement denying media reports claiming that it has ratified a strategy aimed at reducing the percentage of expatriates in Qatar by 2025.

The Secretary General of the new agency, Dr Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, said that the GSDP has done no such thing and that the Permanent Population Committee referred to in the media reports is not even part of the GSDP.

"The work of the Permanent Population Committee was assigned to the former Planning Council, but the Emiri Decree for the establishment of the GSDP makes no provision for the committee," he says.

“My understanding is that the Committee has put together a full report which has been sent to the Council of Ministers for consideration. Any decisions about the future of the Committee or the status of its report are still to be made.

“I also understand that the views being published in newspapers are those of freelance experts who produced background reports for the committee back in 2004. These reports do not reflect the official view of the committee and they are not considered for the formulation of the population policy.

“So quite apart from being based on very dated 2004 information, the newspaper reports are simply wrong. It is very poor journalism that no-one has actually even checked with my office to verify these stories. I am also disappointed that other media have just carried the stories as if they are true without checking the facts,” he says.

"The GSDP will be considering issues to do with the social and economic development of Qatar, but as of now we have not considered, recommended or ratified anything in relation to the Permanent Population Committee's work," says Dr Ibrahim.

Reporting directly to the Heir Apparent, the GSDP is responsible for developing the national vision for Qatar and for setting five-year strategic plans.

Source: http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&month=September2007&file=Local_News2007091015559.xml

Same topic has been posted by another member and we r discussing it .. here is the link ..

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