Education sector employs 12% of Qatari workforce

Total revenues of the private education sector in Qatar increased from QR2bn in 2011 to QR5.8bn in 2015 while the size of the workforce in private and public education sectors almost doubled during the same period, shows data released by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce yesterday.

The Ministry’s analytical report on economic contribution of the education sector highlighted the remarkable economic boom which Qatar has witnessed in recent years, coupled with steady demographic growth, necessitating the expansion of the education sector’s capacity to meet growing demand for education services.

The report noted that the number of schools has witnessed significant growth between 2010 and 2014, with the establishment of 243 new schools. The Ministry projected demand for school education to continue to grow over the next five years.

Kindergartens accounted for two-thirds of the newly established institutions, followed by primary schools at 18%. Preparatory and secondary schools accounted for 7% and 9%, respectively, of newly established schools.

The increase in the number of schools was driven by a 36% increase in the number of students, from 197,000 in 2010 to 268,000 in 2015.

Private schools enrolled 84% of new students throughout the different education stages and accounted for 80% of newly established schools between 2010 and 2015, which highlights the increasing role of the private sector in the education sector.

The report showed an 83.7% increase in the number of university students across Qatar from 15,300 in 2010 to 28,100 in 2014. Public universities hosted 88.9% of new students.

Education sector employed 50,600 people in 2015, up from 26,900 in 2011, a twofold increase that surpasses the overall increase in employment across Qatar, which stood at 53.9% during the same period.

In 2015, the education sector employed 2.6% of Qatar’s work force, compared to 2.1% in 2011.

As of 2015, the education sector employed 12% of the Qatari workforce, making it the second largest employer of Qataris after the civil and military government agencies.

The report said the nominal output of the education sector rose by an annual average of 12.1% over the past five years (2011-2015). The average increase in the education sector’s output surpassed nominal GDP growth, thus raising the contribution of the sector to nominal GDP growth from 1.1% in 2011 to 1.8% in 2015.

The Ministry also highlighted the promising outlook in the education and higher education sector, calling for an increase in investment in private educational institutions.