Invitation to contribute to the Ministerial Roundtable of the Global Labor Market Conference

26-27 January 2026

King Abdulaziz

International Conference Center

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Global Labor

Market Conference 3rd Edition

GLMC.COMKNOWLEDGE PARTNERS

The Global Labor Market Conference is the premier platform for dialogue within the global

labor community. It is designed to advance solutions to the most pressing workforce challenges

in ways that are not only eective, but also fair and sustainable.

Inclusive by design, the GLMC brings together a diverse coalition, from youth voices to the

highest levels of government leadership, ensuring that all perspectives are represented.

Now in its third edition, the GLMC is both continuing the movement it began and evolving to

reect the profound changes shaping today’s labor markets.

INTRODUCTION

KNOWLEDGE PARTNERS

GLMC.COM

To shape a future-ready global labor market that generates quality jobs

and delivers inclusive prosperity built on sustainable growth.

OUR VISION

To be the leading global knowledge hub and driver of labor market progress through a agship

event and year-round initiatives that engage dierent perspectives from the world of work,

policymakers, regulators, business leaders, academics, and voices from dierent generational

cohorts – advancing solutions that balance quality employment and productivity amid

ever-changing market dynamics.

MISSION

OBJECTIVES

Unveil, debate, and share

cutting-edge theoretical and practical

insights that can shape the future of

labor.

Generate and Transfer

Knowledge

Confront complex and sensitive labor

issues head-on, fostering open and

honest conversations that lead to

meaningful, evidence-based

knowledge.

Promote Transparency and

Courageous Dialogue

Ensure no one is left behind by

bringing together diverse voices from

across the globe - particularly those

that are underrepresented - to

collaborate and innovate solutions.

Bring Every Voice

to the Table

Transform bold ideas into tangible

change by translating dialogue into

concrete initiatives, policies, and

partnerships.

Drive Impact Through

Action

PREVIOUS EDITION ACHIEVEMENTS

Opened dialogue on sensitive labor

issues

Provided a high-level platform to address sensitive

and complex topics such as migration,

unemployment, and and the challenges of aging

demographics.

Established the GLMC Labor Market

Academy

A Riyadh-based institution, developed with the World

Bank and Takamol Holding, already training

policymakers worldwide to enhance youth

employment, integrate social protection, and build

adaptive labor ecosystems.

Launched global research

Navigating Tomorrow: Mastering Skills in a Dynamic

Global Labor Market surveyed 14,000 participants in

14 countries to explore adaptation strategies in the

evolving labor market.

Convened minister-level policy

discussions

Hosted ministers from around the globe in exclusive

roundtables to share insights, exchange perspectives,

and explore collaborative approaches to emerging

labor market challenges and opportunities, with

discussions that could inform future policy directions.

Catalyzed partnerships

Over 70 MoUs signed in the last edition, beneting

an estimated 300,000 people.

Facilitated strategic collaboration

150 bilateral meetings between government, business,

and institutional leaders during the last edition.

Expanded global participation

Most recent event brought together representatives

from 120 countries.

Achieved significant media visibility

3.4 billion people reached through international media

coverage.

NEW FORMATS

POLICY IN A FLASH POLICY HACKATHON PASSING THE TORCH

Spotlights where speakers present

their biggest workforce challenge

and their boldest policy experiment

to solve it. Sharp, comparative, and

highly engaging.

Closed, 6-hour working sessions

bringing together youth, policymakers,

business leaders, and academics to

co-create innovative responses to

labor challenges, culminating in a

single joint solution presented back to

the conference.

A top academic selects a pressing

topic or issue and invites emerging

scholars from diverse schools and

countries to present their ndings or

proposed solutions. Senior academics

then provide feedback, challenge

assumptions, and spark debate.

WHAT TO EXPECT FOR THIS YEAR?

200+ 7000+ 50+ Speakers Global & Local

Attendees

Conference Sessions

Across Multiple Tracks

ON THE AGENDA – 6 NEW PILLARS

TRADE SHIFTS, LABOR MOVES: WHERE DOES WORK GO FROM HERE?

New tariffs and rising protectionism are disrupting long-standing global trade relationships, with

hard-to-predict consequences layered onto already complex, highly diversified value chains. What

does this mean for productivity, for jobs, for wages and skills?

Which industries are most exposed? Can domestic labor markets keep up? Will migration patterns

shift? Do we fight to protect existing jobs or invest in new ones? And above all, how can

policymakers and companies shore up in a time of uncertainty, while also keeping sight of the

longer-term need for innovation, skills, and collaboration across borders?

OFF THE RECORD: SHADOW ECONOMIES, REAL WORKERS

While informality often signals weak enforcement or institutional capacity, it can also reflect

structural realities: low productivity sectors where formal employment are difficult to sustain,

regulatory burdens, or situations where workers prefer informal jobs for their flexibility or higher

take-home pay.

Should full formalization be the goal, or is a certain degree of informality inevitable, and even

beneficial, in some contexts? How do policymakers weigh the costs of enforcement against the

potential downsides of informality, such as tax loss and limited protections? And what strategies

work best for managing the transition: accelerating formalization where possible, or designing

protections that function within informal structures?

THE NEW SKILLS ORDER

Is the global economy sufficiently supplied with the skills it needs? The answer is uneven: some

regions face critical shortages while others struggle with underutilized talent; some sectors are

expanding rapidly while others contract; some workers are locked out by lack of experience while

others are stuck in roles beneath their capabilities.

Addressing these mismatches requires rethinking traditional structures and embracing

unconventional solutions: from understanding what hampers skills development and creates

shortages, to questioning whether traditional remedies are enough, if today’s flexible systems can

truly resolve skills shortages over the long run, and if the very notion of the job as the basic unit of

work has reached its limits.

1

2

3

STILL LEARNING: WHAT WE GOT RIGHT ABOUT AI AND WHAT WE DIDN'T

AI’s impact on the labor market is yet to fully unfold. Questions about the quality of AI-generated

work are prompting some companies to walk back automation decisions, bringing humans back

into roles that had been automated. Furthermore, recent labor market trends show growth in

high-skill, well-compensated roles, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and math,

while employment in many low-paid service jobs has flattened or declined – shifts that are

emerging alongside growing AI adoption.

Is AI truly augmenting human work, or is it creating more pressure to produce, emotional

detachment, and lower-quality output? Will the current gains for high-skilled roles last, or give way

to displacement by more tech-savvy workers? And how should we respond to the decline in

low-paid service work?

CRISIS-PROOFING THE WORKFORCE: GROWTH MEETS RESILIENCE

Crises, whether climate shocks, pandemics, recessions, or financial crashes, expose the limits of

today’s labor markets. This pillar examines how governments, policymakers, and companies can

intervene effectively in the face of disruption, and how labor systems can adapt to recover and

reallocate talent quickly.

This pillar explores the critical tools and strategies needed to build resilience: portable protections

that follow workers across jobs, sectors, and borders; rapid retraining models that enable quick

transitions; and job diversification to reduce systemic risk. It also raises key questions: How can

these protections be designed to ensure no worker is left behind? What models of retraining best

prepare workers for sudden shifts? Does diversification across sectors reduce systemic risk, or

simply spread vulnerability differently? And above all, should policymakers design crisis-response

measures with the post-crisis labor market in mind?

ALIGNING LABOR WITH HUMAN PROGRESS

Labor markets are too often measured by the quantity of jobs, not their quality. Yet, research shows

that high-quality jobs are crucial drivers of productivity and innovation. Companies that invest in

worker well-being and development often outperform their peers, demonstrating that investing in

human capital is a key driver of commercial efficiency.

This pillar explores how labor market policies can be recalibrated to balance job quality with

economic performance - shaping working conditions, job security, benefits, and the welfare of

workers. It raises the question of whether success should be measured not only in output, but also

in well-being, trust, and purpose. And it asks how wages, benefits, and regulation can evolve to

support growth that is sustainable for businesses, workers, and societies alike.

4

5

6

LABOR MARKET LEADERS

Year after year, the GLMC Ministerial Roundtable has proven to be the place where the world’s labor leaders

come together for meaningful dialogue on the future of work. Now convening for the third consecutive

edition, it gathers the highest-level authorities whose collective voice translates directly into impact.

More than 45 international ministers will once again meet under one roof in Riyadh. This assembly not only

carries forward the momentum of past editions, it responds to the urgent need for action in a rapidly

changing global labor market.

MINISTERIAL ROUNDTABLE

Ministers of Labor Regulators and Policymakers

CEOs of Leading International and

Regional Companies Employee Group Representatives

Researchers, Academics and Chief

EconomistsGlobal Multilateral Organizations

Bringing together the world’s foremost leaders and changemakers to shape the future of work.

Meet, discuss, and engage with:

Controversial Conversations & Debates

Thought-Provoking Panel Discussions

Youth, Silver, and Academic Track

The Labor Market Awards

Ministerial Roundtable

Impactful Keynotes

Bilateral Meetings

Co-creative Sessions

CORE FEATURES OF GLMC

THANK

YOU

KNOWLEDGE PARTNERS

For more information on how to be part of the Global Labor Market Conference 2026, contact us on

[email protected]

1111111 H 111 111111

1447/04/22

53871 :pl.,oJI ~ ;

:cC>.J; u

:..:.i~,c.11

:~1,-0J

2025/10/14 • IS 04:41

8 October 2025

Minister of Social affairs Government of The the Republic of Estonia

• •• •• • • • • • • GLOBAL

LABOR MARKET

CONJ.l;RE ce

Subject: Invitation to the Ministerial Roundtable of the Global Labor Market Conference 2026 in Riyadh, KSA

Your Excellency,

Amid ongoing economic, demographic, and technological developments, there is a pressing need to develop and refine effective employment strategies that create quality jobs across society, while simultaneously enhancing productivity and long-term economic performance. It is in this spirit that we invite you, as esteemed Minister of Social affairs of the Republic of Estonia, to join us at the annual Ministerial Roundtable of the Global Labor Market Conference (GLMC), held under the Patronage of His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on 26 January 2026 in Riyadh .

Building on the achievements of GLMC 2025, the 2026 Ministerial Roundtable will unite 45 international ministers, charting a course for a bold, forward-looking, and solutions-focused conference. Your insights, experience, and vision will contribute meaningfully to this dialogue and reinforce our shared commitment to advancing labor markets.

The Ministerial Roundtable is reserved for government ministers and a select number of global multilateral organizations and will take place behind closed doors. Selected observers will also be invited and ensuing bilateral meetings will be encouraged. We will then also be honored to welcome you to the official opening of the Global Labor Market Conference that is taking place on 26 - 27 January 2026.

We will be delighted to share additional details as required and hope that you will accept this invitation. Please ask your office to reply to [email protected] and a dedicated member of the GLMC program team will be in touch to answer any questions and confirm your participation .

For more information regarding GLMC, please scan the QR code below. We look forward to welcoming you .

Yours sincerely,

_r)_ Ahmad bin Sulaiman AlRajhi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

GLMC.COM

TMIWOIILD- 110ECD - -

26-27 January 2026

King Abdulaziz

International Conference Center

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Global Labor

Market Conference 3rd Edition

GLMC.COMKNOWLEDGE PARTNERS

The Global Labor Market Conference is the premier platform for dialogue within the global

labor community. It is designed to advance solutions to the most pressing workforce challenges

in ways that are not only eective, but also fair and sustainable.

Inclusive by design, the GLMC brings together a diverse coalition, from youth voices to the

highest levels of government leadership, ensuring that all perspectives are represented.

Now in its third edition, the GLMC is both continuing the movement it began and evolving to

reect the profound changes shaping today’s labor markets.

INTRODUCTION

KNOWLEDGE PARTNERS

GLMC.COM

To shape a future-ready global labor market that generates quality jobs

and delivers inclusive prosperity built on sustainable growth.

OUR VISION

To be the leading global knowledge hub and driver of labor market progress through a agship

event and year-round initiatives that engage dierent perspectives from the world of work,

policymakers, regulators, business leaders, academics, and voices from dierent generational

cohorts – advancing solutions that balance quality employment and productivity amid

ever-changing market dynamics.

MISSION

OBJECTIVES

Unveil, debate, and share

cutting-edge theoretical and practical

insights that can shape the future of

labor.

Generate and Transfer

Knowledge

Confront complex and sensitive labor

issues head-on, fostering open and

honest conversations that lead to

meaningful, evidence-based

knowledge.

Promote Transparency and

Courageous Dialogue

Ensure no one is left behind by

bringing together diverse voices from

across the globe - particularly those

that are underrepresented - to

collaborate and innovate solutions.

Bring Every Voice

to the Table

Transform bold ideas into tangible

change by translating dialogue into

concrete initiatives, policies, and

partnerships.

Drive Impact Through

Action

PREVIOUS EDITION ACHIEVEMENTS

Opened dialogue on sensitive labor

issues

Provided a high-level platform to address sensitive

and complex topics such as migration,

unemployment, and and the challenges of aging

demographics.

Established the GLMC Labor Market

Academy

A Riyadh-based institution, developed with the World

Bank and Takamol Holding, already training

policymakers worldwide to enhance youth

employment, integrate social protection, and build

adaptive labor ecosystems.

Launched global research

Navigating Tomorrow: Mastering Skills in a Dynamic

Global Labor Market surveyed 14,000 participants in

14 countries to explore adaptation strategies in the

evolving labor market.

Convened minister-level policy

discussions

Hosted ministers from around the globe in exclusive

roundtables to share insights, exchange perspectives,

and explore collaborative approaches to emerging

labor market challenges and opportunities, with

discussions that could inform future policy directions.

Catalyzed partnerships

Over 70 MoUs signed in the last edition, beneting

an estimated 300,000 people.

Facilitated strategic collaboration

150 bilateral meetings between government, business,

and institutional leaders during the last edition.

Expanded global participation

Most recent event brought together representatives

from 120 countries.

Achieved significant media visibility

3.4 billion people reached through international media

coverage.

NEW FORMATS

POLICY IN A FLASH POLICY HACKATHON PASSING THE TORCH

Spotlights where speakers present

their biggest workforce challenge

and their boldest policy experiment

to solve it. Sharp, comparative, and

highly engaging.

Closed, 6-hour working sessions

bringing together youth, policymakers,

business leaders, and academics to

co-create innovative responses to

labor challenges, culminating in a

single joint solution presented back to

the conference.

A top academic selects a pressing

topic or issue and invites emerging

scholars from diverse schools and

countries to present their ndings or

proposed solutions. Senior academics

then provide feedback, challenge

assumptions, and spark debate.

WHAT TO EXPECT FOR THIS YEAR?

200+ 7000+ 50+ Speakers Global & Local

Attendees

Conference Sessions

Across Multiple Tracks

ON THE AGENDA – 6 NEW PILLARS

TRADE SHIFTS, LABOR MOVES: WHERE DOES WORK GO FROM HERE?

New tariffs and rising protectionism are disrupting long-standing global trade relationships, with

hard-to-predict consequences layered onto already complex, highly diversified value chains. What

does this mean for productivity, for jobs, for wages and skills?

Which industries are most exposed? Can domestic labor markets keep up? Will migration patterns

shift? Do we fight to protect existing jobs or invest in new ones? And above all, how can

policymakers and companies shore up in a time of uncertainty, while also keeping sight of the

longer-term need for innovation, skills, and collaboration across borders?

OFF THE RECORD: SHADOW ECONOMIES, REAL WORKERS

While informality often signals weak enforcement or institutional capacity, it can also reflect

structural realities: low productivity sectors where formal employment are difficult to sustain,

regulatory burdens, or situations where workers prefer informal jobs for their flexibility or higher

take-home pay.

Should full formalization be the goal, or is a certain degree of informality inevitable, and even

beneficial, in some contexts? How do policymakers weigh the costs of enforcement against the

potential downsides of informality, such as tax loss and limited protections? And what strategies

work best for managing the transition: accelerating formalization where possible, or designing

protections that function within informal structures?

THE NEW SKILLS ORDER

Is the global economy sufficiently supplied with the skills it needs? The answer is uneven: some

regions face critical shortages while others struggle with underutilized talent; some sectors are

expanding rapidly while others contract; some workers are locked out by lack of experience while

others are stuck in roles beneath their capabilities.

Addressing these mismatches requires rethinking traditional structures and embracing

unconventional solutions: from understanding what hampers skills development and creates

shortages, to questioning whether traditional remedies are enough, if today’s flexible systems can

truly resolve skills shortages over the long run, and if the very notion of the job as the basic unit of

work has reached its limits.

1

2

3

STILL LEARNING: WHAT WE GOT RIGHT ABOUT AI AND WHAT WE DIDN'T

AI’s impact on the labor market is yet to fully unfold. Questions about the quality of AI-generated

work are prompting some companies to walk back automation decisions, bringing humans back

into roles that had been automated. Furthermore, recent labor market trends show growth in

high-skill, well-compensated roles, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and math,

while employment in many low-paid service jobs has flattened or declined – shifts that are

emerging alongside growing AI adoption.

Is AI truly augmenting human work, or is it creating more pressure to produce, emotional

detachment, and lower-quality output? Will the current gains for high-skilled roles last, or give way

to displacement by more tech-savvy workers? And how should we respond to the decline in

low-paid service work?

CRISIS-PROOFING THE WORKFORCE: GROWTH MEETS RESILIENCE

Crises, whether climate shocks, pandemics, recessions, or financial crashes, expose the limits of

today’s labor markets. This pillar examines how governments, policymakers, and companies can

intervene effectively in the face of disruption, and how labor systems can adapt to recover and

reallocate talent quickly.

This pillar explores the critical tools and strategies needed to build resilience: portable protections

that follow workers across jobs, sectors, and borders; rapid retraining models that enable quick

transitions; and job diversification to reduce systemic risk. It also raises key questions: How can

these protections be designed to ensure no worker is left behind? What models of retraining best

prepare workers for sudden shifts? Does diversification across sectors reduce systemic risk, or

simply spread vulnerability differently? And above all, should policymakers design crisis-response

measures with the post-crisis labor market in mind?

ALIGNING LABOR WITH HUMAN PROGRESS

Labor markets are too often measured by the quantity of jobs, not their quality. Yet, research shows

that high-quality jobs are crucial drivers of productivity and innovation. Companies that invest in

worker well-being and development often outperform their peers, demonstrating that investing in

human capital is a key driver of commercial efficiency.

This pillar explores how labor market policies can be recalibrated to balance job quality with

economic performance - shaping working conditions, job security, benefits, and the welfare of

workers. It raises the question of whether success should be measured not only in output, but also

in well-being, trust, and purpose. And it asks how wages, benefits, and regulation can evolve to

support growth that is sustainable for businesses, workers, and societies alike.

4

5

6

LABOR MARKET LEADERS

Year after year, the GLMC Ministerial Roundtable has proven to be the place where the world’s labor leaders

come together for meaningful dialogue on the future of work. Now convening for the third consecutive

edition, it gathers the highest-level authorities whose collective voice translates directly into impact.

More than 45 international ministers will once again meet under one roof in Riyadh. This assembly not only

carries forward the momentum of past editions, it responds to the urgent need for action in a rapidly

changing global labor market.

MINISTERIAL ROUNDTABLE

Ministers of Labor Regulators and Policymakers

CEOs of Leading International and

Regional Companies Employee Group Representatives

Researchers, Academics and Chief

EconomistsGlobal Multilateral Organizations

Bringing together the world’s foremost leaders and changemakers to shape the future of work.

Meet, discuss, and engage with:

Controversial Conversations & Debates

Thought-Provoking Panel Discussions

Youth, Silver, and Academic Track

The Labor Market Awards

Ministerial Roundtable

Impactful Keynotes

Bilateral Meetings

Co-creative Sessions

CORE FEATURES OF GLMC

THANK

YOU

KNOWLEDGE PARTNERS

For more information on how to be part of the Global Labor Market Conference 2026, contact us on

[email protected]

1111111 H 111 111111

1447/04/22

53871 :pl.,oJI ~ ;

:cC>.J; u

:..:.i~,c.11

:~1,-0J

2025/10/14 • IS 04:41

8 October 2025

Minister of Social affairs Government of The the Republic of Estonia

• •• •• • • • • • • GLOBAL

LABOR MARKET

CONJ.l;RE ce

Subject: Invitation to the Ministerial Roundtable of the Global Labor Market Conference 2026 in Riyadh, KSA

Your Excellency,

Amid ongoing economic, demographic, and technological developments, there is a pressing need to develop and refine effective employment strategies that create quality jobs across society, while simultaneously enhancing productivity and long-term economic performance. It is in this spirit that we invite you, as esteemed Minister of Social affairs of the Republic of Estonia, to join us at the annual Ministerial Roundtable of the Global Labor Market Conference (GLMC), held under the Patronage of His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on 26 January 2026 in Riyadh .

Building on the achievements of GLMC 2025, the 2026 Ministerial Roundtable will unite 45 international ministers, charting a course for a bold, forward-looking, and solutions-focused conference. Your insights, experience, and vision will contribute meaningfully to this dialogue and reinforce our shared commitment to advancing labor markets.

The Ministerial Roundtable is reserved for government ministers and a select number of global multilateral organizations and will take place behind closed doors. Selected observers will also be invited and ensuing bilateral meetings will be encouraged. We will then also be honored to welcome you to the official opening of the Global Labor Market Conference that is taking place on 26 - 27 January 2026.

We will be delighted to share additional details as required and hope that you will accept this invitation. Please ask your office to reply to [email protected] and a dedicated member of the GLMC program team will be in touch to answer any questions and confirm your participation .

For more information regarding GLMC, please scan the QR code below. We look forward to welcoming you .

Yours sincerely,

_r)_ Ahmad bin Sulaiman AlRajhi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

GLMC.COM

TMIWOIILD- 110ECD - -