Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, UAE Minister of Human Resources and Emiratization and Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, led a delegation from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization (MoHRE) to participate in the 11th meeting of the GCC Labor Ministers’ Committee.
The meeting took place in Kuwait, bringing together Labor and Human Resources Ministers from GCC countries, along with Jassim Mohammed Al Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The session concluded on September 4th.
During the meeting, Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar highlighted the vital importance of cooperation and coordination among GCC countries, stressing the need for ongoing and effective communication on labor market issues.
He emphasized that working collaboratively is crucial to maintaining leadership, fostering best practices that drive sustainable growth, and safeguarding the well-being and dignity of both GCC citizens and residents.
The UAE Minister highlighted that the UAE has achieved a leading global position in developing a conducive work environment, promoting decent work, ensuring equality, and enhancing the private sector’s presence. He noted that the number of Emirati citizens in the private sector has now exceeded 152,000.
According to the statement, the private sector saw a 17 percent growth in the number of companies last year, and ranked first globally in the growth of the workforce and the level of employment according to the Global Competitiveness Yearbook Report 2025, where the growth rate of the workforce reached 12 percent, of which the growth of the skilled workforce was 13 percent.
He further explained that the UAE has implemented a comprehensive framework for the protection of its workers. This has significantly boosted the labor market’s attractiveness and enhanced employees’ skills. This framework also supports job creation in future-oriented sectors like digital transformation and artificial intelligence.
The Minister underscored the importance of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue, highlighting its value in facilitating labor mobility from sending countries to GCC’s receiving countries, attracting skilled workers, and supporting other pioneering UAE initiatives in the labor market.
The Minister affirmed the UAE’s commitment to participating in and supporting all initiatives aimed at strengthening joint GCC efforts and unifying responses to shared challenges amidst rapid global developments. The goal is to achieve common visions across all labor issues and domains.
Dr. Al Awar further stressed the meeting’s significance for exchanging expertise and national best practices, which will help align labor policies and systems among GCC states, advance their labor markets, enhance efficiency, global competitiveness, and productivity, and support sustainable development and leadership.
