HH The Amir issues new law on nationalization of private sector jobs
HH The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Sunday issued Law No. 12 of 2024 to localize private sector jobs in the country. The law will come into effect six months after it is published in the official gazette.
Qatar’s Ministry of Labour (MoL) has now offered more clarity on the new law and how it will affect Qatar’s private sector companies.
The new legislation aligns with Qatar National Vision 2030, particularly the human development pillar. It aims to facilitate strategic investments and create opportunities for the training and employment of Qatari citizens.
It will also support the Third National Development Strategy, which aims to effect a fundamental transformation towards a more productive labour market, focusing on high-skill jobs.
The law seeks to significantly increase the national workforce in private sector institutions and companies, opening up new employment and career opportunities for Qataris and the children of Qatari women and thereby maximizing the utilization of qualified Qatari citizens.
The MoL outlined the law’s primary objectives as:
* To enhance the attractiveness of the labour market to the national workforce
* Increase the ability of companies to attract and integrate citizens
* Encouraging Qatari participation in the private sector
* Ensure job stability for national cadres
* Develop professional skills of the national workforce
* Meet the labour market demand for qualified personnel
* Incentivise private sector companies and establishments to increase the participation of the national workforce
The companies/entities who would be asked to employ nationals…
* Employers who are natural persons managing private establishments registered in the commercial register
* Commercial companies operating in Qatar, whether state-owned, state-participated, or privately owned
* Private non-profit institutions, sports institutions, associations, and similar entities
The ministry said it will develop a job nationalisation plan for the private sector by classifying companies based on size, workforce, and job types. The plan will encompass policies for training, employment, qualification, and university scholarship programmes.
The provisions of the Job Nationalisation Law address many challenges that previously hindered nationalization efforts.
The new law will establish conditions and procedures necessary to make the private sector more attractive to Qataris and the children of Qatari women.
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 programmes established by the ministry
The law also empowers MoL to provide incentives, facilities, and privileges and to sponsor citizens to complete their university studies in coordination with relevant authorities to prepare them for private sector roles.
The law mandates the issuance of standard employment contracts for job nationalisation, which will be binding on entities subject to the law’s provisions, to ensure job security for Qatari citizens and provide them with a stable work environment.
The MoL 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.
With the enactment of the Job Nationalisation Law, the ministry will play a pivotal role in qualifying citizens through training and development programmes in partnership with the private sector.
It will aim to enhance their skills, prepare them for the labor market, and monitor the extent to which companies comply with nationalization policies.
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