Qatar has emerged as the leader in labor market efficiency within the GCC, posting the lowest unemployment rate in the region at just 0.1% during the second quarter of 2024, according to a report from the GCC Statistical Center (GCC-STAT).
This achievement reflects near full employment, with Qatar reporting the lowest unemployment rates for both men and women — 0.1% and 0.4% — and maintaining these figures consistently for over a year.
In contrast, other GCC countries continue to face higher unemployment levels, particularly among women. Oman recorded the highest unemployment rate at 3.6%, followed closely by Saudi Arabia at 3.5%. Across the GCC, female unemployment averaged 10.8%, while male unemployment stood at 1.6%.
Qatar’s labor market is characterized by a high proportion of expatriate workers, who make up 84.5% of the total workforce. Within this group, men account for 84.5% while women represent 15.5%.
This expatriate distribution aligns closely with the broader GCC, where non-nationals constitute 85.1% of the labor force. Saudi Arabia leads the region with 87.1% foreign workers, followed by Oman at 86%, and Kuwait at 74.4%.
Among Qatari nationals, men form 58.9% of the work force whereas women contribute 41.1%, placing Qatar second only to Saudi Arabia, where women comprise 40.5% of the national workforce.
Qatar also maintains one of the lowest male-to-female ratios among national workers in the GCC, with 143 working Qatari men for every 100 Qatari women. This compares favorably against Oman’s ratio of 248 men per 100 women and Saudi Arabia’s at 147 men per 100 women.
In terms of sheer numbers, Qatar employed 2.2m expatriate workers during the second quarter of 2024, representing 8.9% of the total expatriate workforce in the GCC. This ranks Qatar fourth in the region, behind Saudi Arabia’s 16.9 million foreign employees, as well as Kuwait and Oman.
Despite its significant reliance on expatriate labor, Qatar’s national workforce has remained notably stable, showing only minimal changes in citizen employment figures from the previous quarter, along with a 0.4% increase in Qatari employment over the quarter.
The comprehensive report-by GCC-STAT compiled data from official statistical agencies across GCC countries, including the UAE’s Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, Bahrain’s Information & eGovernment Authority, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics, Oman’s National Centre for Statistics and Information, Qatar’s National Planning Council, and Kuwait’s Central Statistical Bureau.
It also referenced international labor statistics from the International Labour Organization’s World Employment and Social Outlook 2024. The report acknowledged some data variability due to differing release schedules and data completeness among member states.
Qatar’s performance underscores its strong labor market resilience and efficiency in a region marked by diverse workforce structures and economic challenges.
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