Just one quarter (25 percent) of private sector companies in Qatar are promoting female nationals, compared to 79 percent in the government and semi-government sector, according to new research.
Qatari women represent around half of the national workforce, with 91,000 working-age females, but Qatarisation strategies do not always engage this vital demographic segment, Oxford Strategic Consulting said in a report.
Eleven percent of senior business leaders surveyed by Oxford said that they “never” promoted female nationals in their organisations, while another 25 percent of organisations said that they only “sometimes” promote female nationals.
Smaller organisations (between 250-499 employees) were significantly less likely than larger organisations (500-plus employees) to promote female nationals, the report said.
Meanwhile, 47 percent of companies said they “rarely” undertook activities to identify potential talent early, while 50 percent said they “rarely” offered careers advice to Qatari nationals at schools and colleges.
Development opportunities for female nationals were also lacking, Oxford said, adding that female jobseekers often faced obstacles in their professional development paths.
Only 33 percent of companies surveyed said they always maximise development and involvement of national talent, while only 33 percent of companies said they work to identity key talent managers.
“Providing the right environment for female leadership is critical, be it through mentorship, graduate training schemes or investing in emotional intelligence,” the report said.
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