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3rd Edition of Global Labor Market Conference to Kick off in Riyadh on Monday

The King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) during the early hours of the night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, August 29, 2025. (Reuters)
The King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) during the early hours of the night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, August 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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3rd Edition of Global Labor Market Conference to Kick off in Riyadh on Monday

The King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) during the early hours of the night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, August 29, 2025. (Reuters)
The King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) during the early hours of the night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, August 29, 2025. (Reuters)

Riyadh will host on Monday the third edition of the Global Labor Market Conference (GLMC) under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Held under the theme “Future in Progress,” the event will feature high-level participation from decision-makers, thought leaders, and experts from around the world.

Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed Al-Rajhi stressed that convening the third edition of GLMC under King Salman’s patronage reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to its international role in advancing global dialogue on the future of work and addressing the shared challenges reshaping labor markets worldwide.

The conference is a global platform that brings together key stakeholders to exchange expertise and build shared visions that contribute to the development of more flexible and inclusive policies, boost workforce readiness, and achieve a balance between economic growth and quality of life, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, he added.

This year’s conference will see broad international participation, with more than 10,000 participants from 100 countries, alongside more than 40 labor ministers, and representatives of international organizations, the private sector, and academic institutions. The conference will also feature more than 200 speakers across over 50 sessions.

The two-day conference is organized by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in strategic partnership with a number of international organizations, including the International Labor Organization (ILO), the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UN Tourism, Labor Center of the Organization of Islamic Conference, and King’s Trust International (KTI), and the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation (Misk).

In its third edition, the conference will focus on six main pillars reflecting the major transformations taking place in global labor markets. These include trade transformations and their impact on employment, informal economies, the new global skills landscape, the real impact of artificial intelligence on jobs and productivity, building resilient labor markets in times of crisis, and boosting job quality, with particular attention given to youth as the foundation of the future economy.

The conference will include a number of milestones, most notably the Ministerial Meeting of labor ministers, bringing together ministers from more than 40 countries to discuss practical and immediate employment pathways in light of global transformations. Other activities include the signing of agreements and memoranda of understanding, the organization of bilateral meetings, and the launch of new initiatives.

The conference will also witness the graduation of the first cohort of the Labor Market Academy, as part of efforts to bolster capacity building for policymakers, develop specialized labor market competencies, and enhance international knowledge exchange in this field.

GLMC is one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to labor market issues, aiming to translate international dialogue into practical policies and initiatives, strengthen cooperation among countries, and support the development of more resilient and sustainable labor markets, contributing to enhanced economic competitiveness at the local, regional, and global levels.

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IMF and Arab Monetary Fund Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
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IMF and Arab Monetary Fund Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference on Emerging Market Economies (EME) to enhance cooperation between the two institutions.

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki, SPA reported.

The agreement aims to strengthen coordination in economic and financial policy areas, including surveillance and lending activities, data and analytical exchange, capacity building, and the provision of technical assistance, in support of regional financial and economic stability.

Both sides affirmed that the MoU represents an important step toward deepening their strategic partnership and strengthening the regional financial safety net, serving member countries and enhancing their ability to address economic challenges.

Business

Saudi Chambers Federation Announces First Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
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Saudi Chambers Federation Announces First Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT

The Federation of Saudi Chambers announced the formation of the first joint Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council for its inaugural term (1447–1451 AH) and the election of Salman bin Hassan Al-Oqayel as its chairman.

Al-Oqayel said the council’s formation marks a pivotal milestone in economic relations between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, reflecting a practical approach to enabling the business sectors in both countries to capitalize on promising investment opportunities and strengthen bilateral trade and investment partnerships, SPA reported.

He noted that trade between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait reached approximately SAR9.5 billion by the end of November 2025, including SAR8 billion in Saudi exports and SAR1.5 billion in Kuwaiti imports.

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Leading Harvard Trade Economist Says Saudi Arabia Holds Key to Success in Fragmented Global Economy

Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
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Leading Harvard Trade Economist Says Saudi Arabia Holds Key to Success in Fragmented Global Economy

Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).

Harvard University economics professor Pol Antràs said Saudi Arabia represents an exceptional model in the shifting global trade landscape, differing fundamentally from traditional emerging-market frameworks. He also stressed that globalization has not ended but has instead re-formed into what he describes as fragmented integration.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, Antràs said Saudi Arabia’s Vision-driven structural reforms position the Kingdom to benefit from the ongoing phase of fragmented integration, adding that the country’s strategic focus on logistics transformation and artificial intelligence constitutes a key engine for sustainable growth that extends beyond the volatility of global crises.

Antràs, the Robert G. Ory Professor of Economics at Harvard University, is one of the leading contemporary theorists of international trade. His research, which reshaped understanding of global value chains, focuses on how firms organize cross-border production and how regulation and technological change influence global trade flows and corporate decision-making.

He said conventional classifications of economies often obscure important structural differences, noting that the term emerging markets groups together countries with widely divergent industrial bases. Economies that depend heavily on manufacturing exports rely critically on market access and trade integration and therefore face stronger competitive pressures from Chinese exports that are increasingly shifting toward alternative markets.

Saudi Arabia, by contrast, exports extensively while facing limited direct competition from China in its primary export commodity, a situation that creates a strategic opportunity. The current environment allows the Kingdom to obtain imports from China at lower cost and access a broader range of goods that previously flowed largely toward the United States market.

Addressing how emerging economies should respond to dumping pressures and rising competition, Antràs said countries should minimize protectionist tendencies and instead position themselves as committed participants in the multilateral trading system, allowing foreign producers to access domestic markets while encouraging domestic firms to expand internationally.

He noted that although Chinese dumping presents concerns for countries with manufacturing sectors that compete directly with Chinese production, the risk is lower for Saudi Arabia because it does not maintain a large manufacturing base that overlaps directly with Chinese exports. Lower-cost imports could benefit Saudi consumers, while targeted policy tools such as credit programs, subsidies, and support for firms seeking to redesign and upgrade business models represent more effective responses than broad protectionist measures.

Globalization has not ended

Antràs said globalization continues but through more complex structures, with trade agreements increasingly negotiated through diverse arrangements rather than relying primarily on multilateral negotiations. Trade deals will continue to be concluded, but they are likely to become more complex, with uncertainty remaining a defining feature of the global trading environment.

Interest rates and artificial intelligence

According to Antràs, high global interest rates, combined with the additional risk premiums faced by emerging markets, are constraining investment, particularly in sectors that require export financing, capital expenditure, and continuous quality upgrading.

However, he noted that elevated interest rates partly reflect expectations of stronger long-term growth driven by artificial intelligence and broader technological transformation.

He also said if those growth expectations materialize, productivity gains could enable small and medium-sized enterprises to forecast demand more accurately and identify previously untapped markets, partially offsetting the negative effects of higher borrowing costs.

Employment concerns and the role of government

The Harvard professor warned that labor markets face a dual challenge stemming from intensified Chinese export competition and accelerating job automation driven by artificial intelligence, developments that could lead to significant disruptions, particularly among younger workers. He said governments must adopt proactive strategies requiring substantial fiscal resources to mitigate near-term labor-market shocks.

According to Antràs, productivity growth remains the central condition for success: if new technologies deliver the anticipated productivity gains, governments will gain the fiscal space needed to compensate affected groups and retrain the workforce, achieving a balance between addressing short-term disruptions and investing in long-term strategic gains.