The Technical Committee for the Development Meets for Implementing Gulf Manual for Classification and Occupational Description in GCC

20-08-2021

The Kingdom of Bahrain, in its capacity as Chair of the current session of the Council of Ministers of Labour and the Council of Ministers of Social Affairs of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), chaired the regular meeting of the Technical Committee for the Development of the Gulf manual common vocational classification and description. The meeting, held via videoconference and led by Dr Ismail Al Alawi, Director of Training and Manpower Development at the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, brought together representatives of GCC Ministries of Labour and national statistical agencies. The committee approved member‑state proposals to add a number of occupations to the Manual to keep pace with developments in GCC labour markets; it also examined occupational descriptions and their skill levels, together with the translation and harmonisation of the Manual with the international version. The first edition of the Gulf manual common vocational classification and description dates to 1990, and it has been updated several times, with the most recent version approved by the Council of Ministers of Labour of the GCC in 2014. The Council has instituted a periodic review mechanism through a committee that convenes annually to consider updates. The Manual provides a common language of understanding between GCC labour ministries and statistical centres on the one hand, and private‑sector requirements on the other; it also serves as a means of advancing the principles and objectives of the Gulf Common Market.