2025-08-05
QFC’s Share of Women Employees Remains High Above Country Average: ILO-QFC Study
The Qatar Financial Centre’s (QFC) share of women remains far above the ratio of women’s employment in the country, even as their potential remains large, according to its skills study.
The study, conducted by the QFC, in association with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Hamad Bin Khalifa University, provides insights into the evolving skills landscape in Qatar’s financial sector under the QFC, which hosts diverse global and domestic firms.
It found women's representation remains low, accounting for an average of 33% of the workers by firm. This is equal to the share of women participating in the sector in Bahrain and above that of Saudi Arabia, where women make up 25%.
However, when compared to international economies, the gender gap becomes more evident: in the US, women make up 56% of the workforce in the financial workforce, and 53% in Singapore.
"Despite the share of women in QFC being far above the ratio of women’s employment in the country (17%), there remains a large potential for attracting this demographic," said the study, based on 43-page questionnaire.
An analysis of the share of women employees within firms reveals that those with a higher proportion of female workers (over 33%) are more likely to invest in on-the-job training and mentoring, it said.
In contrast, firms with a lower share of female employees tend to rely more on external training programmes, it said, adding this finding supports the idea that women prefer relationship-based training, a tool that might be beneficial to firms
The QFC’s financial sector consists primarily of smaller firms, with half of them (50%) employing 10 or fewer people; while medium-sized firms also hold significant weight, accounting for 41%. In contrast, large firms (50-249) make up a small share of the total composition (9%).
Most firms have been established for a considerable period, with 45% operating for 16 years or more. Meanwhile, younger firms (1 to 5 years old) and intermediate firms (6-15 years) each represent 27% of the total share.
The average organisational age across the sample was 11.9 years, with the youngest being 1 year old and the most established reaching 19 years of operation.
The primary subsectors active within QFC’s financial sector include banking (30%), insurance (27%), investment (27%), alongside Islamic banking (9%) and other financial activities (7%).
The study found that the typical financial sector worker in QFC is a non-Qatari man between the ages of 35 and 54, a trend that remains consistent across firms of all sizes and ages. However, sectoral differences emerge — younger workers are more likely to be employed in banking, while older workers are more prevalent in Islamic banking.
On average, nearly 70% of employees in each firm within the QFC financial sector are between 35 and 54 years old.
This is notably higher than in Qatar’s overall labour market, where this age group represents 49% of the employed population, and also higher than in the financial sector of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, where this group accounts for 42% and 53%, respectively.
In contrast, younger workers under the age of 35 make up just 23% of employees in the QFC financial firms — significantly below the national average of 46.8%, as well as below the share observed in the financial sectors of Bahrain (53%), Saudi Arabia (40%) and the US (32%).
These comparisons suggest a relatively older workforce composition within the QFC financial institutions compared with both the national context and international benchmarks.
The study, conducted by the QFC, in association with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Hamad Bin Khalifa University, provides insights into the evolving skills landscape in Qatar’s financial sector under the QFC, which hosts diverse global and domestic firms.
It found women's representation remains low, accounting for an average of 33% of the workers by firm. This is equal to the share of women participating in the sector in Bahrain and above that of Saudi Arabia, where women make up 25%.
However, when compared to international economies, the gender gap becomes more evident: in the US, women make up 56% of the workforce in the financial workforce, and 53% in Singapore.
"Despite the share of women in QFC being far above the ratio of women’s employment in the country (17%), there remains a large potential for attracting this demographic," said the study, based on 43-page questionnaire.
An analysis of the share of women employees within firms reveals that those with a higher proportion of female workers (over 33%) are more likely to invest in on-the-job training and mentoring, it said.
In contrast, firms with a lower share of female employees tend to rely more on external training programmes, it said, adding this finding supports the idea that women prefer relationship-based training, a tool that might be beneficial to firms
The QFC’s financial sector consists primarily of smaller firms, with half of them (50%) employing 10 or fewer people; while medium-sized firms also hold significant weight, accounting for 41%. In contrast, large firms (50-249) make up a small share of the total composition (9%).
Most firms have been established for a considerable period, with 45% operating for 16 years or more. Meanwhile, younger firms (1 to 5 years old) and intermediate firms (6-15 years) each represent 27% of the total share.
The average organisational age across the sample was 11.9 years, with the youngest being 1 year old and the most established reaching 19 years of operation.
The primary subsectors active within QFC’s financial sector include banking (30%), insurance (27%), investment (27%), alongside Islamic banking (9%) and other financial activities (7%).
The study found that the typical financial sector worker in QFC is a non-Qatari man between the ages of 35 and 54, a trend that remains consistent across firms of all sizes and ages. However, sectoral differences emerge — younger workers are more likely to be employed in banking, while older workers are more prevalent in Islamic banking.
On average, nearly 70% of employees in each firm within the QFC financial sector are between 35 and 54 years old.
This is notably higher than in Qatar’s overall labour market, where this age group represents 49% of the employed population, and also higher than in the financial sector of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, where this group accounts for 42% and 53%, respectively.
In contrast, younger workers under the age of 35 make up just 23% of employees in the QFC financial firms — significantly below the national average of 46.8%, as well as below the share observed in the financial sectors of Bahrain (53%), Saudi Arabia (40%) and the US (32%).
These comparisons suggest a relatively older workforce composition within the QFC financial institutions compared with both the national context and international benchmarks.
Source: GULF TIMES