The Shura Council State of Qatar

The Shura Council held its ordinary weekly session Monday at Tamim bin Hamad Hall at the Council's premises under the chairmanship of HE Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim.

The Council hosted HE President of the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau (CGB) Abdulaziz bin Nasser bin Mubarak Al Khalifa along with a number of (CGB) experts to present the strategic plan for recruitment in the government sector, the plans to train and qualify Qataris for the labour market, replacement & nationalization, and development of government services.

At the outset of the session, HE Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim stressed the important role played by the CGB in qualifying Qatari citizens, and its efforts in implementing nationalization and replacement policies, which stems from the centrality of the human element as a fundamental pillar of development, and as an important resource that must be developed and preserved in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.

Afterwards, the Council listened to the presentation made by HE President of CGB, in which he discussed the efforts made to provide sustainable competitive services and realize the potential of human resources through excellence and innovation.

During the presentation, HE Al Khalifa touched on CGB's specializations, its efforts in managing and developing human resources, and its role in the recruitment, through the "Kawader" platform by posting job opportunities in 54 government and semi-government entities and the private sector.

He pointed out that the CGB succeeded during the past year in securing jobs for 4,576 citizens (1,476 males and 3,100 females) in the government sector.

He added that the Bureau is continuously developing the "Kawader" platform, to provide support to job seekers by providing courses on preparing CVs and passing interviews, from which more than 1,900 job seekers have benefited during the year 2023.

His Excellency the President of the CGB highlighted the Bureau's efforts to improve the government work system and develop and qualify cadres, reviewing human resources policies and plans in implementing replacement and nationalization policies in accordance with the directives of the wise leadership.

He added that the implementation of the relevant plans passes through two paths, the first through immediate replacement via the "Kawader" platform, or through practical training, and the second path is through future replacement through government scholarship programs.

He pointed out that the first track of the plan is by targeting any job held by a non-Qatari, according to the replacement and nationalization guide issued by the Bureau, to ensure appropriate replacement without disrupting the workflow.

HE President of Civil Service and Government Development Bureau (CGB) Abdulaziz bin Nasser bin Mubarak Al Khalifa stated that the various government agencies succeeded in replacing 712 of the targeted jobs during 2023.

His Excellency explained that the second track of the plan represents future replacement through government scholarship programs for specializations that are not available in the job market. In 2022, there were 2,363 citizens with a scholarship and 2,690 graduates in various fields, His Excellency pointed out.

Regarding the "Knowledge Transfer" initiative, His Excellency said that it is the first of its kind at the state level and aims to develop national talent and the capabilities of government sector employees whose experience does not exceed five years to allow them to build a network of professional relationships and acquire cognitive and behavioral skills in the fields of studies, data analysis, strategic planning, design concept development, project management and effective communication.

HE Al Khalifa said that the initiative seeks to develop national expertise in various fields based on the needs required in the government sector through a 6-month development program of functional practice and work within consulting companies on existing strategic projects, which contributes to raising the efficiency and performance of employees in particular and the government sector in general.

Regarding the strategic plans in the field of training and qualification, His Excellency pointed to the Bureau's efforts to achieve the highest levels of organizational and administrative development and modernization, as well as enhance human resources in government agencies and advance them in a way that increases efficiency and effectiveness and achieves optimal use.

HE Al Khalifa highlighted the achievements of the Institute of Public Administration of the CGB in training and empowering Qatari employees by providing them with the necessary functional skills that enable them to carry out their job tasks to the fullest extent. The institute provided 1,415 training programs in various fields during 2023 that benefited more than 32,000 government employees, His Excellency added.

His Excellency spoke about the efforts of the CGB in developing organizational structures and government services and building capabilities and government leaders, pointing out in this regard the launch of the "Mahara" program in cooperation with a number of parties to qualify job seekers and train them extensively to fill jobs in the technical, technological, administrative and media fields.

HE President of the CGB Abdulaziz bin Nasser bin Mubarak Al Khalifa also touched on the "Taqat" initiative launched by the Bureau to optimally handle the challenges faced by institutions regarding the efficiency of operating employees by re-establishing, qualifying and training them to occupy new jobs that represent added value to the government. Regarding the "Tamheen" program, launched by the CGB in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, His Excellency explained that it aims to attract citizens toward the teaching profession by qualifying non-educational university graduates and preparing them to fill teaching positions.

HE President of the CGB also gave a brief presentation on the Bureau's efforts in proposing and reviewing work systems in government authorities with the aim of improving the work environment, such as activating part-time work, launching flexible work systems on an experimental basis to reduce the working hours of female employees of government agencies during vacations, as well as implementing a questionnaire to measure government sector employees' satisfaction with the work environment to ensure the preparation of fully studied improvement plans developed in accordance with employees' points of view.

The presentation also included a comprehensive explanation of the "Ada'a" system launched by the Bureau to develop employees' performance and motivate them to demonstrate their talents and abilities by involving all employees in implementing the employer's goals by linking individual performance to institutional performance.

His Excellency spoke about the launch of the "Eskan Portal" which is designed to facilitate and accelerate procedures regarding housing, in addition to implementing standardization and auditing policies to ensure that administrative buildings and residences comply with the highest standards of security and safety and optimal use of spaces.

The CGB, in cooperation with various government agencies, succeeded fully or partially in digitizing a large percentage of government services to better facilitate its procedures, His Excellency underscored.

HE President of CGB Abdulaziz bin Nasser bin Mubarak Al Khalifa also touched on the unified platform for managing and unifying customer experience "Sharek", as well as the Qatar Government Excellence Award that aims to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the government sector and the services provided to customers. 

In response to Shura Council members' inquires regarding Qatari citizens' lack of interest in working in education and the healthcare sector, HE Civil Service and Government Development Bureau (CGB) President Abdulaziz bin Nasser bin Mubarak Al Khalifa said that CGB is coordinating with the relevant authorities to improve work conditions and make employment in these sectors more appealing to citizens.

Regarding employment in the private sector, His Excellency said that the future vision goes in that direction in order to provide stable jobs, indicating that CGB is working together with the relevant authorities to consider this aspect and arrive to a clear understanding on the matter.

HE the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau President said that in partnership with international institutions, CGB conducted extensive research into Artificial Intelligence's impacts on jobs, concluding that AI will only have slight repercussions on jobs, instead, AI's effect will increase the productivity of tech-savy employees.

On the topic of the employment of persons with disabilities in the public sector, His Excellency said that CGB is closely monitoring public institutions' compliance with meeting the two percent set quota in accordance with the law and specifications.

HE Civil Service and Government Development Bureau President Abdulaziz bin Nasser bin Mubarak Al Khalifa said that CGB seeks to achieve a tangible improvement in governmental administration and human resources, stressing the Bureau's interest in all of the remarks and suggestions that the Shura Council members have brought up.

In turn, Their Excellencies Shura Council members praised CGB's role in implementing human resource administrative and development strategies in Qatar, underscoring Their Excellencies' keenness on supporting CGB's role.

The members of the Shura Council commended the state's policies and vision for prioritizing the human asset in achieving the goals of national development and prosperity.

Their Excellencies Council members stressed the need to harmonize systems to comply with the developmental goals by setting and improving the work environment as well as adopting flexible working hours in order to maintain a work-life balance, particularly in support of the family as an insitution, underscoring the cruciality of this matter, in order to provide the employee with the appropriate conditions for success and enabling them to have an added value to the job market.

The Members also stressed the need to facilitate and simplify the Bureau's service procedures as well as those that CGB supervises or participates in via the Government Service Complexes, in order to remove unnecessary administrative obstacles.

Their Excellencies noted the ongoing digital transformation, however, emphasizing the urgency to digitalize procedures, in light of the world's accelerating development in all directions.

Regarding the topic of job replacement, the Shura Council members highlighted their deep belief in the Qatari human asset, thus, the need to put in the work to achieve nationalization and replacement plans, meeting the public sector's job needs, in addition to setting the appropriate standards to ensure a smooth workflow, in achieving the goals of national development.

At the conclusion of the session, on His Excellency and Shura Council members' behalf, HE the Shura Council Speaker expressed his utmost thanks and gratitude to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani for the great interest His Highness attaches to the human element, as embodied in the Qatar National Vision 2030 first pillar on human development, also emphasized by the Third National Development Strategy.

His Excellency underscored the Shura Council's support to CGB and all state institutions in their efforts to support the Qatari human asset, setting it as a fundamental asset for national development, and provide it with the needed qualifications to join and compete in the labor market, in service of Qatar's supreme interest.

The session was attended by HE Chairman of the Central Municipal Council Mohammad bin Ali Al Athba and a lineup of Municipal Council members.