Educational outcomes and labour market based on supply and demand: A Qatari perspective

Abstract

This article investigates the question of what are the stock and current flow of educational outcomes in Qatar and to what extent such outcomes are linked to the labour market and hence provide it with required skills. The focus of interest is secondary and higher education since they are considered as the largest pool from which the local labour market chooses its employees. The evaluation of the education system in Qatar (1956-2002) shows that this system is not fully participating in the provision of skilled nationals for the country�s manpower requirements in general, and for the production sector in particular. The education system in Qatar has gained an increasingly high degree of independence from the economy since its establishment. As a result, there has been a tendency for this system to generate educational achievements in literature and theoretical fields, which are not highly demanded by the labour market. Within these results, the most critical issue of vocational education in scientific fields is described. Recommendations and reforms of these systems are also discussed.