”This has resulted in the failure of workforce nationalization policies, an increase in unemployment among nationals and a growing imbalance in the GCC labor market,” Al-Suwaidi said in his welcoming remarks today at the opening of the the ECSSR’s annual conference ”Education and the Requirements of the GCC Labor Market.
”We have long believed that the labor market in the Gulf region, and in the UAE in particular, is capable of absorbing graduates from all fields, especially in view of the economic and commercial activities and diversified employment opportunities found in most of the GCC states. However, a number of factors have contributed to creating the current gap between labor market requirements and education,” he said in the address which was read on hisbehalf by Abdullah Al Sahlawi, ECSSR Executive Director.
Recognizing the importance of this subject at the local and regional levels and the need to further the discussion on how to address these challenges, the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) is convening its 15th Annual Conference under the title: Education and the Requirements of the GCC Labor Market The Conference will examine the current dilemma facing education and the need to meet the requirements of the GCC labor market, and will attempt to draw a road map to address these issues. It will also review the current state of the labor market in the GCC, as well as the obstacles to nationalization of the labor force, and patterns of employment according to future labor market needs.
Conference participants will include decision-makers, experts, academics and researchers representing a broad range of opinion and a high level of expertise. Their research presentations will be compiled and published in book form (in English and Arabic) and made available following the Conference.
”We anticipate that the papers presented at the Conference, and the subsequent discussions, will serve to achieve a consensus among researchers and decision-makers, thus facilitating solutions to the problem of education and the labor market. This, in turn, will reflect on the future of development in the GCC,”he added.
The conference will consist of six sessions and nearly 18 presentations covering the conference topics, which include: Education Output and the Current Predicament; Towards an Education that Realizes the Requirements of the Labor Market The Road Map; The Current Labor Market Situation in the GCC Countries; Obstacles Facing the Labor Market in the GCC Countries; Available Solutions for Aligning Education Output with the Labor Market; and The Future of the Labor Market.
”We hope that papers to be presented at the conference and the subsequent discussions would positively contribute to the eventual resolution of this vital issue. The conference will serve as a meeting place for scholars and decision-makers and help evolve a consensus on approaches and the creation of practical solutions to the problem facing GCC countries, he indicated.
