Turkish President H E Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Minister of Labour H E Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, and other dignitaries at the OECD Skills Summit in Istanbul.
Doha, Qatar: Minister of Labour H E Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri participated yesterday in the OECD Skills Summit in Istanbul, held under the theme “Unlocking Talent Across Generations”, alongside labour ministers, senior officials and international experts.
The two-day summit brings together policymakers to exchange experience and best practice on education, vocational training and labour market development, as governments respond to structural shifts driven by digital transformation, artificial intelligence and the transition to a green economy. These developments are reshaping labour markets and redefining skills requirements across sectors.
Qatar’s participation in the 2026 edition follows an OECD invitation to selected non-member countries, reflecting its expanding engagement in international dialogue on labour market governance and skills policy.
In a ministerial session, Dr. Al Marri said the summit addressed one of the most pressing global challenges: developing skills and empowering individuals across all stages of life amid rapid demographic and technological change. He underlined that Qatar places investment in human capital at the top of its national priorities, noting that this approach has been translated into a comprehensive package of labour market reforms aimed at promoting fair employment, enhancing workforce efficiency, attracting skilled labour and improving working conditions, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.
On education and training, he said Qatar was strengthening alignment between education outputs and labour market needs through expanded vocational and technical training systems and deeper private sector partnerships, to equip workers for digital and green economy transitions.
On skills development, he highlighted continuous training and upskilling programmes designed to improve productivity and employability.
On labour market inclusion, he noted efforts to increase women’s participation in the labour market, strengthen labour rights protections, improve dispute resolution mechanisms and enhance wage protection systems.
He added that reforms introduced in recent years included the Wage Protection System, a non-discriminatory minimum wage, abolition of exit permit requirements, labour mobility allowing workers to change employers, the establishment of Qatar Visa Centres, and the Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund. He said these measures reflected Qatar’s commitment to a fair and sustainable labour market that supports skills development and productivity growth. On the sidelines of the summit, Al Marri held separate meetings with The Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP, Minister of State for Employment, United Kingdom; and H E Matias Marttinen, Minister of Employment of Finland.
The meetings focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the labour sector and exploring ways to further enhance and develop joint relations.
