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Dhaka: Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabia will host the Ministerial Roundtable as part of the third edition of the Global Labor Market Conference (GLMC) on Monday, January 26.
The high-level meeting will take place at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh and will bring together 40 labor ministers from around the world. Held under the theme “Future in Progress,” the roundtable aims to advance practical and actionable solutions to the most pressing challenges facing global labor markets, reads a press release.
The Ministerial Roundtable will focus on moving beyond dialogue toward implementation, with discussions centered on developing immediately applicable employment pathways. Participating ministers will exchange international best practices and explore ways to strengthen multilateral cooperation in key areas such as skills development, technology adoption, job quality, and social protection, with the goal of enhancing labor market resilience worldwide.
Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al Rajhi, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, emphasized the importance of the gathering, noting that it provides a unique platform to transform shared expertise into tangible cooperation.
“The Ministerial Roundtable represents a unique and important opportunity to harness the accumulated knowledge and expertise of participating countries and translate them into tangible and practical cooperation,” Al Rajhi said. “By bringing together ministers and international partners, we strengthen collaboration, exchange successful policy models, and work to develop regulatory frameworks that improve work environments, enhance competitiveness, and support labor market resilience.”
He added that the outcomes of the roundtable would extend beyond Saudi Arabia, contributing to positive and sustainable impacts on labor systems globally.
The roundtable will be chaired by Minister Al Rajhi and will include the participation of His Excellency Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO). It forms part of the broader Global Labor Market Conference, scheduled to run from Jan. 26 to 27, 2026, in Riyadh.
Organized by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in strategic partnership with several international organizations, the Ministerial Roundtable builds on the outcomes of previous editions, which resulted in eight pathways aimed at reshaping labor markets and preparing them for future challenges.
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