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The Ministry of Labour announced the closure of the Special Manpower Supply Recruitment Office under Minister of Labour Decision No 49 of 2026 and the Riviera Manpower Supply Recruitment Office under Decision No 48 of 2026 the ministry said in a statement posted on its official X account. Both actions took effect immediately as part of regulatory oversight of agencies that bring workers from abroad for Qatari employers according to the ministry. The statement identified the offices by name and decision number making the revocations public rather than internal administrative steps.
Qatar’s Labour Law and associated regulations on overseas recruitment provided the legal foundation for the licence cancellations the ministry reported. No specific violations were detailed in the November 3 announcement though similar actions in recent months have targeted failures to meet contractual obligations or address complaints. The Peninsula Qatar reported that an earlier October closure affected the Al-Luluah domestic worker recruitment agency for comparable regulatory breaches under a separate ministerial decision.
National Planning Council labour force survey data from the fourth quarter of 2024 places non-Qataris at 94.4 percent of the total employed population or roughly 2.16 million workers out of 2.28 million. This heavy reliance on expatriate labour has driven sustained demand for licensed recruitment offices that connect employers with candidates from countries across Asia and Africa. A LexisNexis summary of Ministerial Decision No 61 of 2026 issued in late October established updated licensing rules that include a QR750 000 financial guarantee requirement for agencies to strengthen oversight of the sector.
The new licensing framework which replaced an earlier 2005 decision sets eligibility criteria for both individual and corporate applicants including Qatari ownership and clean criminal records related to trust or trafficking offences according to the official gazette publication. Recruitment offices must maintain approved premises and adhere to operational standards that bar charging fees to workers under Article 33 of the Labour Law. These rules aim to improve compliance across the recruitment pipeline that serves multiple economic sectors dependent on foreign manpower.
The latest closures follow a pattern of enforcement that includes public naming of affected entities to deter non-compliance across the industry a practice the ministry has employed periodically since at least 2016 when two other agencies lost licences for contract violations. Industry reports indicate that licensed recruiters partner with overseas firms in origin countries to facilitate worker placement though the Qatari offices themselves handle local employer matching and documentation. Data from Pakistan’s Bureau of Emigration showed a slowdown in outflows to Qatar in 2026 compared with prior years reflecting broader labour market adjustments.
Ministry of Labour statements have consistently framed such actions as necessary steps to organise the labour market although the November announcement stopped short of elaborating on individual case details or pending worker transfers. Employers who held contracts with the now-closed offices are expected to verify their arrangements through the ministry’s recruitment department to avoid service disruptions. The revocations do not alter the underlying legal requirement that all foreign worker recruitment occur through authorised channels.
