Qatar's indigenous pool of labour is small. In 1999, Qataris represented only 44% of total people employed in the country. Since 1998, the government has promoted a policy of 'Qatarisation' to encourage priority recruitment for Qataris, especially in the public sector.
The recruitment of expatriate labour is regulated by the Ministry of Interior and the Department of Labour of the Ministry of Civil Service Affairs. All expatriate workers are required to be sponsored by their employer, and any transfers of sponsorship must be approved by the Ministry of Interior. An annual residency fee of QR 1,000 is levied for each expatriate worker, plus QR 500 for each spouse and QR 300 for each child.

In May 2004, Qatar passed a new labor law which allows Qatari workers the right to strike, to form worker’s committees and to join international labor organizations with ministerial approval. Strikes are forbidden in vital industries including oil and gas, water and power, transport, communications and hospitals. Under the new law, all workers have the right to conduct collective negotiations over all work-related issues through the formation of joint committees with employers. Where workers’ committees exist, they will represent the interest of all employees; in other cases, provided there are 30 or more employees, they may directly elect representatives.

Under the Labour Law, the normal working week consists of 48 hours (six eight-hour days), reduced to 36 hours during Ramadan. Beyond these hours, overtime is payable at a minimum rate of time and a quarter, rising to time and a half on Fridays and public holidays.