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Saudi Minister Calls for Proactive Steps to Prepare for Future

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By Kunal Dutt, Riyadh   Jan 30, 2025 01:34

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Human Resources and Social Development calls for proactive steps to prepare for the future of the global labor market, highlighting technological advancements and demographic changes. The minister also announced two initiatives at the Global Labour Market Conference in...
Riyadh, Jan 29 (PTI) The world has been witnessing rapid technological advancement, fundamental demographic changes and various emerging issues, which require "pro-active and bold steps" to prepare humanity for the future, a Saudi minister said on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia is "proud to host this conference" as part of its continuous efforts to play an "active role" in global change, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman AlRajhi said in his address at the second edition of the Global Labour Market Conference (GLMC) here.

At the conference, he also announced two initiatives of the government of Saudi Arabia.

"Our commitment to international collaboration is reflected in the initiatives we are unveiling today. These initiatives aim to transform challenges into opportunities, ensuring the prosperity of our economies, communities and workforces," he said.

The first initiative, thanks to Saudi Arabia's long partnership with the World Bank, "we are proud to launch the labour academy, an institution that will be a turning point in how policymakers worldwide are trained," the minister said.

The academy will be permanently based in Riyadh, reflecting the Kingdom's commitment. It will focus on equipping these leaders with comprehensive tools to address current future challenges in labour markets, drive inclusive employment, train young people and integrate social protection into labour market policies, he added.

"The second initiative, I am also pleased to present, the navigating the future report, a comprehensive analysis of global labour markets trends, both current and future. The report provides practical recommendations based on.. research, offering innovative strategies to bridge skill gap, to promote life-long learning," AlRajhi said.

He hoped that this conference will have a tangible and positive impact on the labour market.

In his address, he also underlined that at the global level, around 67 million young people are unemployed.

"We all united in our efforts to discuss current challenges, draw the future roadmap for the labour market," said AlRajhi, who delivered the opening remarks on behalf of the King of Saudi Arabia at the global conference being hosted at King Abdulaziz International Conference Centre (KAICC).

A group of participants from over 100 countries, including government leaders, experts, innovators, and policymakers are attending the conference.

"The world is witnessing rapid technological advancement, fundamental demographic changes and emerging issues such as climate adaptation. These developments require us to take proactive and bold steps to prepare humanity for the future," the Saudi minister said.

The GLMC, he said, is a crucial hub for collaboration and a global think-tank supporting labour market research and studies.

He asserted that "together we will continue to work to provide positive transformation in the global market".

Recalling the first edition of the conference held in December 2023, AlRajhi said this year "We continue our journey and join efforts to deal with contemporary challenges facing labour markets and explore ways to address them".

"Our vision remains clear and our goals steadfast to work together to build a flexible and inclusive labour market that can adapt to future challenges and changes efficiently and effectively," he added.

The Saudi minister said: "We aim to work together to harness our vast and shared experiences and expertise to address global challenges."

Transforming them into opportunities, "we can all work together" to ensure prosperity for our economy, communities and workforces, he underlined.

Citing case studies from countries like Germany, Singapore and Kenya, the minister said that on a global scale, "we are witnessing the emergence of various models that contribute to the positive transformation of the labour markets".

"These models demonstrate that novel solutions can be developed and worked to create an optimistic future for the labour market."

"In this context, the Kingdom is taking pioneering steps under Vision 2030, to empower the workforce and stimulate transformation in the labour market," the Saudi minister said.
Source: PTI
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