Engaging Today’s Workforce in the Gulf Cooperation Council States

Business is booming in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States. Opportunity is everywhere. There is an increase in tourism and expatriate (expat) arrivals, retail units and shopping malls, distribution and logistics. The real estate and property coupled with 21st century architecture is designed to take one’s breath away. Business in this region is a new kind of business—never in history has one geographic region been advancing so rapidly, and at such a grandiose, awe-inspiring scale. When it comes to new opportunities in the GCC states, the only limit is the imagination—some even go so far as to say, “Nothing is impossible.”

Or is it? Although growth capital for infrastructure, retail, transport, banking and real estate investments may be available, the human resources and management it takes to sustain such growth is challenging, compounded by the presence of two workforces: national and expat human capital. The rapid pace of change and growth of economic development causes organizations to scramble for talent, trying to keep up. Competition for talent is dynamic, and operating on a global scale. Emerging markets are increasingly attracting valuable expat workers while some mature markets are experiencing an over-supply of talent in several key market sectors.