OMAN, Muscat, March 2: The Statistical Center of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) released new data on Sunday, revealing that the total number of workers in the GCC countries reached 31.8 million in 2022, making up 54.2% of the total population. Among this workforce, 78.7% were male, while 21.3% were female.

The number of GCC citizens in the workforce stood at 5.6 million, representing 17.6% of the region's total workforce. Of these workers, 60% were male and 40% were female. This marks a significant increase in female participation, with the number of female workers rising by 600,000 since 2011.

The center highlighted that the government sector remains the largest employer for Gulf nationals, with a focus on workforce localization in the private sector. Specifically, 83.5% of GCC workers were employed in the public sector, while only 14.2% worked in the private sector. A large portion of the workforce in the region is concentrated in the services sector, especially in public administration roles.

GCC countries have been implementing policies aimed at localizing the workforce. These include the creation of a common Gulf market and comprehensive development strategies to address demographic and workforce imbalances. Efforts are also underway to increase the contribution of nationals in the industrial sector and to promote the role of women in the economy, in line with goals of achieving demographic balance.

Moreover, the development of a young workforce is a key priority for the GCC, with a focus on diversifying economies and fostering green, environmentally friendly jobs.

In the education sector, GCC countries are working to build a well-educated national workforce. According to the latest data, the total number of students in public education in the GCC for the 2021/2022 academic year was 9.3 million, marking an annual growth rate of 6.6% compared to 2018. Seventy-five percent of these students were enrolled in government institutions.

For higher education, the total number of students across 258 higher education institutions in the GCC reached 2 million in 2021/2022. The region has also made notable progress in global university rankings.

The health sector has seen substantial growth as well. Data from 2022 shows that the GCC region had 121.2 thousand hospital beds, an increase of 8.9% from 2018. The number of doctors also grew by 65.4%, reaching 224.3 thousand, while the number of pharmacists rose by 46.8%, reaching 69.4 thousand.

Additionally, the GCC Patent Office granted 1,316 patents in the fields of pharmacy and biotechnology in 2022. The center also reviewed the prices of 607 pharmaceutical preparations, standardizing the prices of 223 of them.

The Gulf Statistical Center, headquartered in Oman, is the official body responsible for gathering and disseminating data, information, and statistics for the GCC countries. Established to serve as the region's primary source for statistical information, the center works to enhance the statistical and informational work of national centers and planning agencies across the GCC.