Qatar among countries driving GCC female labour participation: IMF

Qatar among countries driving GCC female labour participation: IMF

Female participation in the GCC labour market increased by five percentage points during the last decade, driven by Qatar, Oman and the UAE, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said in a report.

This progress reflects a range of reforms that GCC countries have implemented to incentivise women to participate in the labour market, the IMF said in a report titled ‘Economic prospects and policy challenges for the GCC countries’.

Qatar, the IMF noted, amended the labour law in 2004 to impose gender equality in working rights, including pay, training opportunities, and job advancement.

In the last three years, Saudi Arabia and UAE have passed legislation that prohibits gender-based discrimination in employment, including by imposing equal remuneration, allowing women to work in jobs deemed men-specific (e.g., the mining sector, jobs with night shifts), prohibiting dismissal of women during pregnancy and maternity leave and equalising the retirement age.

Despite these improvements, the IMF stressed female labour participation remains less than half of male participation, and even less in managerial positions. This stands in contrast to Emerging Market and Developing Economies (EMDE), where female labour participation exceeds 80%. Women in managerial positions in GCC countries also remains limited.

On average, about 71% of female adults in the