The Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) has introduced a new initiative that allows individuals aged 60 and above with a secondary school certificate or lower to transfer their residency status from family/dependent sponsorship (Article 22) to work residency in the private sector (Article 18).

This transfer is subject to the same conditions and regulations that apply to switching employers, ensuring consistency in the process.

Additionally, workers registered under government contracts can now transfer to the private sector, provided their government contracts have ended and both the original and new employers agree to the transfer.

The latest labor force statistics for 2024 reveal that a total of 31,391 job seekers have been registered in the national labor sector. The breakdown of these job seekers includes a range of educational backgrounds:

• 27 PhD holders
• 629 individuals with a Master’s degree
• 17,927 with a bachelor’s degree
• 6,805 diploma holders
• 823 job seekers with intermediate qualifications
• 83 with vocational or parallel education
• 408 classified as below intermediate

In addition, there are several thousand other job seekers who have completed specialized courses or gained relevant work experience, expanding their employment opportunities in the private sector.