As leading EOR providers and recruitment experts in Qatar, staying up-to-date with compliance and hiring trends is crucial to guide our clients. To help you make the most of your next hiring project, we've created a roundup of trends and compliance changes to consider.
Please note that findings are based on our own client and candidate data and regional understanding unless otherwise cited.
The Qatar Job Market is booming into 2025
Qatar's job market is experiencing growth as we enter the second half of 2025.
There is expansion across non-oil sectors, with new jobs surging across various industries, including green energy, manufacturing, healthcare, technology, services, and wholesale/retail sectors.
Notably, Qatar's government is continuing its proactive job-nationalisation efforts to integrate citizens into private sector roles.
Major Hiring Trends
Skill‑Based Hiring in Construction, Healthcare, Tech & Green Sectors: Employers are increasingly valuing credentials and demonstrated abilities over formal degrees, especially for roles in AI, digital, and green innovation. While all booming sectors are relying on overseas talent sourcing, where needed.
AI & Green Economy Demand: Qatar is forecasting a $5 billion boost to its economy from AI and 13,000 related jobs by 2030, according to the Arab Inform Journal. Large-scale green-tech infrastructure projects are also on course to drive similarly strong hiring.
Private Sector Nationalisation: Law No. 12 of 2024 mandates the prioritisation of Qatari nationals in private hiring. To ensure this happens, the government has backed their law with incentives like salary subsidies and pension support. Employers have been made aware that they must advertise openly via MoL platforms and report hiring quotas accordingly.
Evolving Hiring Practices & Pain Points
Regulatory Development: Frequent labour-law updates, ranging from contract standardisation to tight sponsorship and visa controls, are increasingly reshaping hiring compliance.
Kafala Overhaul: Although changes in 2020 alleviated some sponsorship burdens, firms still face compliance risks associated with exit permits and minimum-wage entitlements.
EOR Adoption: More businesses are turning to Employer‑of‑Record solutions to navigate labour law intricacies, manage visas, ensure payroll compliance, and mitigate wrongful termination risks.
Why Our Qatar Hiring Guide Matters
We wanted to create a compliance compass, designed to:
Outline compliance in hiring local and overseas staff.
Detail employment contract rules, including probation limits, termination clauses, and leave policies.
Cover basic payroll policies, including benefits and healthcare.
Everything you need to make your initial hiring decision: the route you want to take for recruitment (in-house working with a recruitment agent, or using an Employer of Record, otherwise known as an EOR).
Get your free copy by emailing us at info@mselect.com