Emir receives phone call from Obama
HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani received a telephone call from the US President Barack Obama yesterday.
The Emir and the US president reviewed bilateral relations and means to boost them, and exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues of common concern.
Qatar attends Malaysian judicial conference
Qatar participated in the 47th Malaysian Judicial Conference held in the city of Kuantan. Qatar’s delegation to the conference was headed by the head of the Court of Cassation and president of the Supreme Judicial Council Masoud Mohamed al-Amiri who is now visiting Malaysia.
Indian embassy
to hold community
house on May 30
The monthly community house at the Indian embassy will be held on May 30.
Those who want to bring issues to the attention of the mission officials need to give it in writing between 5.30 and 6pm, according to an embassy communiqué.
The officials will meet the complainants between 6 and 6.30pm, it said.
Salaries not keeping pace
with cost of living: survey
Indicating a gloomy picture on Qatar’s labour market, about 62% of professionals viewed that their salaries is lower than that of other companies in the industry and only 5% of them were highly satisfied with the current remuneration, according to a survey.
Eight in 10 believe that the cost of living will continue to increase, said the survey conducted by Bayt.com and YouGov.
In terms of their current salary, a quarter of Qatar respondents (24%) receive their basic salary only, while 65% get their basic salary plus benefits. A third (36%) stated that 51-75% of their salary package is their basic monthly salary.
Additional benefits received from Qatar companies include personal annual air ticket (50%), housing allowance (40%) and personal medical insurance (39%).
The “overwhelming” sentiment in Qatar is that the salaries received by respondents in their current companies are lower than other companies in their industry (62%), with 38% claiming that they did not receive a raise in 2012.
The majority of those who did receive a pay increment were given 1-5% (22%), but 47% are unhappy with the amount received.
“In 2013, Qatar respondents are torn with regards to receiving a raise: 30% expect to receive up to 15% and 22% expect to receive more than 15%, while 23% do not expect anything,” the survey said.
Six in 10 (59%) of Qatar respondents state that their cost of living increased by more than 15% in 2012, it said, adding they believe this is mostly due to rising food and beverage costs (78%), increased rents (72%), and education (39%).
Eight out of 10 (78%) believe that the cost of living will continue to rise in 2013.
A third (35%) of Qatar respondents save up to 15% of their monthly personal income; four in 10 (41%) repatriate 15% or more.
“The results of the 2013 Mena salary survey suggest that salaries are not keeping pace with the rising cost of living in Qatar. This is a general trend across the Middle East that companies must begin to address; in doing so, they will be able to contribute to building employee loyalty and satisfaction, and will have the opportunity to reduce the number of employees looking to change jobs within the next year,” Suhail Masri, VP (Sales), Bayt.com, said.
Asked whether salaries are increasing or decreasing in their country of residence, 26% of Qatar respondents said that they are ‘increasing marginally’ with an additional 31% stating they are ‘increasing moderately’, and 14% state that they are staying the same.
Factors causing salaries in Qatar to increase are considered to be inflation and the rising cost of living (56%), growth in opportunities and economic growth (46%), and pay rises in the public sector (18%). Reasons for salaries not increasing are seen to be employer-friendly laws (27%), the poor economy (22%), and more top talents than available jobs (18%), according to the survey.
Half (54%) of Qatar respondents intend to look for a better job in the same industry in the next 12 months, while 32% will look for a better job in a different industry and 30% will look to other Middle Eastern countries for better jobs.
This is likely because 23% of respondents believe that there is an excess supply of talent in Qatar.
Fourth CSR
conference to
open tomorrow
The Ministry of Business and Trade announced yesterday that preparations for the upcoming fourth Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) conference have been completed.
The conference, being organised under the patronage of HE the Minister of Business and Trade Sheikh Jassim bin Adbulaziz bin Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, will be inaugurated tomorrow at the Four Seasons hotel Doha. The two-day conference will see the participation of senior personalities from the Qatari business community alongside various civil and government entities in the country.
A number of Qatari and foreign companies working in the country are sponsoring the event: The Diamond sponsor is Qatar Gas Company, Platinum sponsors ExxonMobil and Qatar Fertilizer Company (Qafco), Golden sponsor Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros Co (AAB), and the Silver sponsors are Qatar Company for Water and Electricity (Kahramaa), Qatar Shell, Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco).
A great number of participants are expected to take part in the conference with expert speakers and analysts in corporate social responsibility field. Some of the speakers are from the United Nations Development Programme, and the World Bank, besides a number of local and international speakers.
Qatar-Singapore
joint forum opens today
The Qatar-Singapore Joint Planning Forum, aimed at promoting bilateral co-operation in the areas urban planning and land-use will be held at the Doha Sheraton Resort & Convention Hotel today.
The forum will include presentations by urban authorities in both countries on key projects and businesses, the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning said in a statement.
A Qatar-Singapore Joint Planning Forum was held in April 2010.
Qatar’s envoy
meets Lankan
president
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse met Qatar’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka Said bin Abdullah al-Mansouri, whose term of office has expired.
During the meeting the ambassador conveyed greetings of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
The Sri Lankan president reciprocated the greetings of the Emir and the Heir Apparent and wished the people of Qatar further progress and prosperity.
New Mazda showroom
set to open on May 30
National Car Company (NCC), the sole agent for Mazda Motor Corporation in Qatar, will officially open a new Mazda showroom on May 30 at 6:30pm.
The sporty and elegant new Mazda 6 sedan will be unveiled during the ceremony.
Sheikh Ahmad bin Nasser al-Thani, the president director of NCC, said: “We strongly feel that the opening of the new showroom will be a turning point in reinforcing and enhancing Mazda’s brand presence in Qatar. The futuristic showroom and the next-generation product line from Mazda along with class-leading customer service will provide Mazda customers a most satisfying buying and ownership experience. We welcome all to attend the opening ceremony and make it a grand success”.
The new 1,500 sq m state-of-the-art showroom, strategically located at Al Nasr Street, will showcase the whole range of sedans and SUVs and will be open seven days a week.
Accident on C Ring Road causes traffic
jam at intersection
One person was seriously injured in an accident on the C Ring Road near the Gulf Cinema signal yesterday evening.
There was gridlock on the road in the aftermath of the incident as police diverted traffic to other lanes during the evening rush hour after 9pm.
At the scene of the accident, a red SUV with its bonnet open and with damage visible to the front and side, was parked in the middle of the road.
A young woman, whom eye-witnesses said was the driver of the vehicle, was seen sitting on the sidewalk with a shell-shocked expression on her face. Policemen were talking to her. There was a pool of blood in the middle of the road.
There were contradictory reports about exactly what had happened. One eyewitness said that he saw a pedestrian crossing the road being hit. Another said the SUV had crashed into another vehicle.
Indian boy killed
in Mesaieed crash
A 12-year-old Indian boy was killed in a road accident in Mesaieed yesterday evening.
The victim was identified as Shawn Allen Oommen, a class 6 student at DPS-Modern Indian School, according to sources. His father, Allen Oommen Abraham, is working with the Qatar Fertiliser Company. The family comes from Adoor in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district.