Under the theme "Gulf Labor Market in Light of the Growth of the Digital Economy", the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) is gearing up for organizing the 6th edition of the GCC HR & labor Market Executive Conference which will be held at Expo Centre Sharjah on Oct. 14 – 15. The conference is held under the patronage of Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and is regarded as the largest forum for the private sector in the region. The GCC HR & labor Market Executive Conference is organized by the SCCI in collaboration with the Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Federation of GCC Chambers and Arab Labor Organization. Aiming to keep pace with the global transformations in the digital economy through mobilizing capabilities and activities and fostering the joint Gulf cooperation, the conference will be discussing the challenges and opportunities for workforce localization in Gulf countries and the future of leading projects in light of the digital economy environment. The conference will also be focusing on reviewing the proper methods on how to harness the graduation projects of the academic institutions' graduates and identifying means of bolstering the gulf employment from the knowledge economy markets. Investment in Human Capital Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman, Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: "The UAE experience in terms of empowering its human capital is much appreciated by the entire world, as it is striving to keep abreast with the accelerating world changes in all domains. Not only that, but the UAE is also keen on being one of the decision-makers of these changes." Al Owais underlined that the UAE has become at the forefront of the countries that invest in developing the infrastructure of the digital economy, thanks to the belief of our wise leadership in the importance of enhancing the role of the digital economy in the national economy system. "In addition to underscoring the role of youth nationals in shaping the digital era of the Emirati economy, through their creativity in the digital world and technology fields. This has placed the UAE in the first place in the E-commerce and digital economy at the region level," added Al Owais. Maryam Saif Al Shamsi, Assistant General Director, Support Services Sector of the SCCI, said: "The GCC HR & labor Market Conference is one of the most important conferences in the gulf region, owing to its content, speakers, participants, and topics. The conference is also regarded as a leading platform to exchange the best experiences, local, regional and international practices, in addition to highlighting the issues related to the investment in gulf youth and tackling the most important challenges facing them and how to overcome these obstacles." Al Shamsi added: "This's year theme is constituting a real exploration for the future of human resources in the digital economy sector. For that reason, the topics and titles of the conference sessions were carefully selected to get along with the reality of the gulf labor market." The conference will be witnessing the participation of an elite group of experts, with the attendance of representatives of ministries, educational institutions, government and private establishments concerned with the human resources development in the GCC. Through the conference sessions, the participants will be having the chance to exchange views about the implementation of the best gulf practices and experiences in the development fields. Also, the discussions will shed light on the impacts of human development and localization in the gulf labor market and the role of the private sector in training, qualification, and employment as part of the efforts exerted to strengthen partnership with the government sector in the GCC. — SG
