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Third Middle East HR Summit to Focus on Nationalization of Labor in the GCC | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Dubai, Asharq Al-Awsat- Achieving targets set for nationalisation of the regional work force through speedy and effective implementation of employment policies and programmes, both in public and private sector organisations across the migrant labour-dominated economies of the Gulf states, will be the key focus of regional Human Resource professionals attending the third Middle East HR Summit in Dubai September 17 to 20, 2006.

“Escalating levels of unemployment among native populations in the midst of unprecedented economic growth and development has emerged as a serious problem in most GCC countries. Despite the availability of professionally qualified and skilled National manpower, regional job markets have traditionally been swamped by better qualified, globally exposed and low-wage earning expatriates, particularly from neighbouring Arab countries, the Indian Sub-continent, South East Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe,” pointed out Jackie Wilks, Summit Director of IIR Middle East, organisers of the event.

“This has resulted in a demographic and socio-economic imbalance, where the National worker gets marginalised in his own land, is subjected to prejudicial treatment by employers and ends up at the lower rung of the economic ladder, posing a complex dilemma for policy-makers and planners. Consequently, concerned governments have introduced specifically tailored initiatives to enforce nationalisation at all levels of the labour market,” she added.

“The effective implementation of these initiatives, the achievement of set targets, the training of National manpower to suit employers’ demands in an increasingly global and multicultural work scenario, and the integration of Nationals into the work force, are key issues that will be deliberated upon at the region’s premier annual conference and exhibition for Human Resource professionals,” Wilks said.