The strategy behind Qatar’s rise in global labor market rankings

Qatar ranked second globally for labor market performance in the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, highlighting the country’s labor-market efficiency, flexibility and ability to attract and retain skilled professionals, according to QNA.

Qatar Chamber Acting General Manager Ali Bu Sherbak Al Mansori said the ranking reflects the impact of economic, legislative and regulatory reforms that have made the labor market more attractive and competitive while safeguarding the interests of both workers and employers.

He said the result would strengthen confidence among local and international businesses while helping private-sector companies attract the specialized talent needed to expand and compete regionally and globally.

Qatar also ranked first regionally and among the world’s five most economically resilient economies in the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook. The country placed first globally for its balance of trade and recorded the world’s lowest unemployment, youth unemployment and long-term unemployment rates. It also maintained one of the world’s highest national savings rates.

The second-place labor market ranking falls under IMD’s Business Efficiency pillar and comes as countries compete more intensely to attract investment and skilled professionals.

Separately, Qatar ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa and 27th globally in the 2025 Global Peace Index, climbing two places from the previous year. It also ranked eighth globally and first in the Arab world as one of the safest and most peaceful countries.

In the 2025 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, Qatar entered the global top 10 for the first time, ranking ninth overall. Its Business Efficiency ranking improved from 11th to fifth, while Economic Performance and Government Efficiency remained seventh.

Infrastructure advanced by three places, supported by continued investment in transport, education, healthcare and digital systems. Qatar also ranked among the world’s top 20 economies in the 2025 IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking.

The labor market’s performance follows the launch of Qatar’s National Workforce Strategy 2024–2030, which comprises 16 initiatives and 55 projects covering citizens, expatriate workers and employers across the government, private and mixed sectors.

The strategy targets annual labor productivity growth of 2%, an increase in Qatari workforce participation to 58% from 54%, and a rise in the share of Qataris employed in private and mixed sectors to 20% from 17%. It also aims to integrate 16,000 Qataris into private-sector employment, increase the share of highly skilled expatriate workers to 24% from 20%, and create more high-quality private-sector jobs by 2030.

The broader strategy targets average annual economic growth of 4%, supported by expanded gas production, economic diversification, specialized industry clusters and private-sector innovation. It also aims for 46% of the workforce to be highly skilled and for more than 20% of the national workforce to be employed in private and public-private sectors, positioning labor-market efficiency as a key driver of investment, business growth and sustainable development.