The GCC labour market has witnessed a remarkable growth in recent years, as the number of workers in the GCC countries increased from about 27.9 million in 2020 to about 34.9 million in 2024, an increase of 24.8%, said GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi. 

 

"This reflects the success of policies aimed at reducing unemployment rates and expanding the role of the private sector, in addition to developing skills and increasing investment in the region," he was quoted as saying in a Saudi Press Agency report.

 

Albudaiwi was speaking at the 11th meeting of the Committee of Labour Ministers of the GCC countries in Kuwait City.

 

He emphasised that Gulf societies, with their vitality and youthful energy, constitute a significant wealth and an inexhaustible source of creativity, as participation rates in the Gulf labour market have surpassed the global average. 

 

"This requires the development of labour policies capable of absorbing these energies and employing them in the best possible way," he underscored.

 

Albudaiwi also praised the tangible progress in the field of empowering Gulf women, pointing to the increase in the percentage of female citizens in the total national workforce to 40.2% in the second quarter of 2024, compared to 36.4% in 2019.

 

He said the Gulf economy is achieving growth exceeding the global average thanks to the ambitious development visions of the GCC states. 

 

International Monetary Fund has projected the economies of the GCC countries to grow by 4.1% in 2026, which is above the global average. "This is driven by growth in the non-oil sectors, which have become the main engine of development thanks to ambitious visions and development projects," he explained.