Qatar’s decision-makers are determined to transform their country into a cultural, economic, and sports hub, turning it into a sustainable nation with an aware and educated population that understands its role in advancing to new horizons and enhancing its position in the international community.
To achieve this goal, it was necessary to devise a forward-looking and ambitious plan with clear objectives and a vision that meets the people’s aspirations, considers the state’s resources and what is lacking, and provides what is needed to attain prosperity and well-being.
To achieve this noble aim, the state must mobilize the energies of all its citizens, utilizing every individual while preparing future generations within a well-structured strategic plan that spans across time, anticipating future challenges, ensuring comprehensive development, and enhancing societal awareness of its roots, aspirations, past, and future.
In this direction, the Qatar National Vision 2030 was established. It focuses on human, social, economic, and environmental development, preparing its citizens for nation-building and creating a just and secure society based on good morals. This society will be capable of interacting and engaging with other communities and developing a diverse and competitive economy that meets its needs sustainably without harming the environment or the future of coming generations.
Qatar’s ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, stated in the vision document, “Qatar’s National Vision is a bridge connecting the present with the future. It outlines a vision for a vibrant, prosperous society where economic and social justice prevail, maintaining a balance between the environment and humanity. The highest Islamic values and strong family bonds form its foundation, and the way to achieve these aspirations is by harnessing and directing our collective energies.”
Human Development
According to the latest United Nations Development Programme report, Qatar ranked 40th globally, among the countries with very high human development. This ranking is based on indicators such as Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, life expectancy at birth, average years of schooling, and expected years of education.
As defined by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq, human development is the process of expanding people’s freedoms and opportunities and improving their well-being. It concerns individuals’ freedom to decide who they want to be, what they do, and how they live.
Human development in Qatar focuses on transforming its economy, which primarily relies on oil and gas, into one based on knowledge and competitiveness. To achieve this transformation, the state emphasizes the development of high-quality educational and healthcare systems, as well as strengthening both local and expatriate workforces.
Qatar aims to build a high-level educational system that enhances the capabilities of its citizens, allowing them to develop into highly skilled professionals who can provide the best services, take on technical and administrative roles, and meet the current and future demands of the labour market.
In this context, Dr Athba bint Thamer Al Thani, CEO of Management and Business Development at Diar Vinci Qatar Construction, stated in an article in Al Sharq newspaper that Qatar’s Vision 2030 is heading towards a “knowledge-based economy through investment in national human capital and its development through a variety of economic incentives and government frameworks that encourage investment in education, innovation, and information technology.”
Dr Ali Al-Roufa considers the concept of a knowledge economy to be “a new global structure in which the production of knowledge goods and informational services dominates both wealth creation and employment opportunities. This structure fundamentally relies on information and communication technologies, which have become the new economic driver.”
Since production is closely linked to information and knowledge and the idea of production through innovation, the nature of this knowledge product is non-material and not confined by national or geographical boundaries. The communications revolution has transformed markets from local or regional to global and international.
Localization and Replacement
Qatar has experienced rapid population growth, mainly due to the continuous increase in the expatriate workforce accompanying the country’s rapid economic growth. This has resulted in expanding urban development, investment projects, and a steady rise in government spending.
This has led to a significant increase in the proportion of expatriate workers in the labour force, particularly an unexpected and unplanned rise in unskilled labourers. This situation requires a clear definition of the development path and the size and type of targeted expatriate labour that aligns with the state’s needs in quantity and quality.
Researcher Ahmed Mubarak has provided several definitions of localization. Some view localization as “the process of preparing a citizen to perform a specific job previously held by non-national competencies, provided that the citizen fulfils all elements required for job performance.”
Others take a broader view of localization, seeing it as “an integrated human resources management system that includes creating an environment that encourages national labour to reach its full potential and capabilities in striving to meet the needs and objectives of the organization.”
This system focuses on job localization and skill development by formulating policies and practices to achieve the best performance from the national workforce. This is done through the integration and alignment between job localization management and human resources activities to create an environment that enhances the value of the national human element and makes it the central focus.
Therefore, job localization is not merely about replacing a foreign worker with a national worker; instead, it is a comprehensive activity aimed at fostering job loyalty and achieving both current and future objectives through effective employment strategies.
Laws and Regulations
The employment of citizens in suitable positions and vacancies is one of the state’s top priorities in human development by increasing the size of the national workforce across all sectors of the country.
To this end, the state has adopted the localization (Qatarization) project in both the public and private sectors, enacting laws and issuing decisions to provide jobs and employment opportunities for citizens and replacing expatriate labour with national labour.
Article 28 of the Qatari Constitution states that “The State shall guarantee freedom of economic enterprise based on social justice and balanced cooperation between private and public activity in order to achieve socio-economic development, increase production, ensure public welfare, raise the standard of living and provide job opportunities in accordance with the provisions of the Law.”
Based on this, Civil Human Resources Law No. (15) of 2016 stipulates in Article 13 that “anyone appointed to a position must be of Qatari nationality; if not available, priority shall be given to the children of a Qatari woman married to a non-Qatari, then to the non-Qatari spouse married to a Qatari or a Qatari woman, then to citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, then to citizens of Arab countries, and then to other nationalities.”
Emiri Decree No. (58) of 2021, related to establishing the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau, states in Article 4 the powers and competencies granted to achieve its objectives, including “proposing and implementing job localization policies in coordination with government entities.”
The Civil Service and Government Development Bureau targets all positions held by non-Qataris through a plan to replace and localize government jobs. In an article in Al-Watan newspaper, Mohamed Al-Jabri mentioned that the Bureau has set a plan to “localize 4% of Qatari employees annually, replacing foreign employees in the government entities subject to the Civil Human Resources Law.”
Al-Jabri also stated that the Bureau will be responsible for training “national human resources as part of the replacement and renewal plan, to qualify these resources to fill the positions occupied by non-Qataris.”
Additionally, there are incentive and encouragement decisions to attract national labour, such as Cabinet Resolution No. (6) of 2024, which grants a recruitment allowance for Qatari employees in the administrative cadre of Qatar University.
The law grants Qatari employees in the administrative cadre of Qatar University a “recruitment allowance” of 20% of the employee’s basic salary, in addition to the nature of work allowance specified by the Cabinet in its regular meeting (12) of 2010, with the payment of this allowance being subject to the same regulations as provided in that decision.
Additional Considerations
The dominance of expatriate labour in various work sectors has necessitated the adoption of localization and the gradual replacement of expatriate workers with national labour, which is considered the optimal solution.
According to the Planning and Statistics Authority statistics, expatriates comprise approximately 86% of Qatar’s population, with most being male. Males constitute 65% of the population, while females comprise 35%, creating another demographic challenge.
Undoubtedly, this situation has provided a significantly more comfortable life for Qatari citizens, far surpassing that of expatriates, who face challenges such as inflation, rising rents, and other financial difficulties.
It appears increasingly necessary for the state to implement, alongside its localization and replacement strategy, an additional strategy that grants Qatari citizenship to distinguished expatriates and those with high competencies.
Article 6 of Law No. (38) of 2005 concerning Qatari nationality should be activated. It states that “Qatari nationality may be granted by an Emiri decision to those who have rendered great services or possess special competencies needed by the state, or to outstanding students with promising academic abilities. Based on public interest considerations, Qatari nationality in this case may be granted to the individual alone, allowing them to retain their original nationality.”
Qatar’s expatriates and residents include many distinguished talents and exceptional individuals. By recognizing them, the state will increase the number of national workers and address the current demographic imbalance.
