His Excellency Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation and Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, led a delegation from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) to the 11th meeting of the GCC Labour Ministers' Committee. The meeting was held in Kuwait City, Kuwait, with the participation of Labour and Human Resources Ministers from GCC countries, and His Excellency Jassim Mohammed Al Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council. It concluded on September 4th.
On the sidelines of the meeting, His Excellency Al Awar also met with His Excellency Abdullah Ali Al Yahya, Kuwait's Foreign Affairs Minister, and His Excellency Al Budaiwi, alongside the other participating ministers.
Addressing the meeting, His Excellency Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar emphasised the important role of GCC cooperation and coordination, and the need for continued and effective communication in labour market affairs. Working together, he stated, is essential for sustaining leadership, developing best practices that support ongoing growth, and ensuring the well-being and dignity of GCC citizens and residents.
His Excellency 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.
Furthermore, the private sector saw a 17 % 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%, of which the growth of the skilled workforce was 13%.
His Excellency further explained that the UAE has implemented a comprehensive framework for the protection of its workers. This has significantly boosted the labour market's attractiveness and enhanced employees’ skills. This framework also supports job creation in future-oriented sectors like digital transformation and artificial intelligence.
HE underscored the importance of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue, highlighting its value in facilitating labour mobility from sending countries to GCC’s receiving countries, attracting skilled workers, and supporting other pioneering UAE initiatives in the labour 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 labour issues and domains. He stressed the meeting's significance for exchanging expertise and national best practices, which will help align labour policies and systems among GCC states, advance their labour markets, enhance efficiency, global competitiveness, and productivity, and support sustainable development and leadership.
His Excellency Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar also attended the awards ceremony held alongside the meeting, which recognised leading companies in Emiratisation and outstanding small businesses across GCC countries.
During the ceremony, Al Masaood Energy and Epic Temporary Employment Service L.L.C were honoured for their excellence in Emiratisation in the United Arab Emirates. Oceanic Company was also recognised as the best small business in the country.
His Excellency congratulated the winners and commended their efforts in enhancing the effectiveness of Emiratisation policies and fostering an environment that supports entrepreneurial projects. He stated that this achievement reflects the economic and social progress witnessed in the UAE.
The delegation from MoHRE included Her Excellency Shaima Al Awadhi Acting Undersecretary of Labour Market Development & Regulation, and Assistant Undersecretary for Communications & International Relations, and His Excellency Ahmed Al Nasser, Assistant Undersecretary for Labour Market Policies, along with other ministry officials.