THE HOT STORY

Saudi Arabia rolls out mandatory occupational fitness screening for workers

The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has announced a new guide for occupational fitness assessments and non-communicable disease (NCD) screenings for all employees. The implementation will occur in three phases, starting with pre-employment screenings for public-sector and non-profit workers. The second phase will expand screenings to existing employees in high-risk establishments. The final phase will cover all sectors. Employees who do not meet fitness requirements will not be allowed to work, and screenings will also occur during employment under specific circumstances.

Saudi Gazette

WORKFORCE

Saudi Arabia and UAE are top destinations for Pakistani job seekers

Over 300,000 Pakistanis migrated for jobs in Gulf countries during the first five months of 2026, according to the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment. Saudi Arabia attracted the most workers, with 143,586 securing positions, while the UAE welcomed around 50,000. Despite regional tensions from the US-Iran conflict, the demand for overseas employment remained strong. The steady outflow of workers is expected to bolster Pakistan's remittance inflows, which reached a record $4.2bn in May.

Gulfnews.com

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

Fourth batch of ‘Manahil Alizz' internship programme is launched

Alizz Islamic Bank has launched the fourth batch of its internship programme, ‘Manahil Alizz’, welcoming 50 students from Omani universities. The initiative is part of the Bank's Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy, focusing on youth empowerment and professional development. Participants will gain hands-on experience in various banking functions and receive mentorship and career guidance. Since its inception, over 100 students have graduated, enhancing their employability and professional skills. The programme aligns with Oman Vision 2040, promoting financial inclusion and community development, while reinforcing the Bank's commitment to sustainable progress.

Zawya EN

ECONOMY

US-Iran deal could reconnect Iran to the global economy

A tentative agreement between the United States and Iran could pave the way for the lifting of decades-long sanctions, potentially restoring Iran’s access to global trade, financial markets, and foreign investment while providing a major boost to its struggling economy. If a final agreement is reached, restrictions on Iran’s oil exports and financial transactions could be eased, billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets could be released, and a proposed $300bn regional reconstruction and development fund could support economic recovery following the country’s recent conflict with the US and Israel. In the near term, planned confidence-building measures include reopening key trade routes, ending the US blockade of Iranian seaborne trade, and allowing Iran to resume oil exports without sanctions-related discounts.

New York Times

TAX

Court orders refund in tax scam

A Dubai court has ordered two men to repay Dh723,500 to a company after they were convicted of impersonating Federal Tax Authority officials. The defendants used forged documents to deceive the company’s manager, claiming they could reduce tax obligations. The court imposed 5% annual interest on the repayment and rejected a separate Dh12m damages claim due to lack of evidence. The fraudulent activities led to significant tax exposure and operational disruptions for the company. The defendants received a six-month jail sentence and were ordered to be deported.

Gulfnews.com

INTERNATIONAL

Danish company does away with bosses to foster creativity

Clever, a Danish electric car charging company, has eliminated traditional management structures to enhance creativity and performance. Co-founder Casper Kirketerp-Moller initiated the change in 2019 in a bid to empower employees and streamline decision-making. The company now operates with self-managed teams, in which each member contributes to decisions. Flat hierarchies are popular with employees, especially younger ones. “Many organisations are fighting with a high degree of complexity. And that makes decisions very difficult in a very hierarchical, bureaucratic organisation because all decisions involve many different managers,” explained Roskilde University professor Helge Hvid, an expert on self-managed companies, who added: “People want to have a say in their work, and they want to have meaning in their work. They want to have autonomy.” An internal audit at Clever found that 92% of employees were said to enjoy their work environment; however, experts warn that self-management can lead to stress and conflict if not managed properly.

Straits Times

The Peninsula

Work from home is here to stay

The Wall Street Journal reports that the amount of time Americans work remotely is barely budging despite the efforts of big companies - including Home Depot, Target, Microsoft, 3M, and Intel - to herald return-to-office mandates. Data from a monthly work-from-home survey run by economists Jose Maria Barrero, Nicholas Bloom and Steven Davis indicates that remote work has reached an equilibrium, with 26% of paid, full days worked from home in May, similar to two years earlier. Bloom, a Stanford University economist, believes that more work will be done remotely in the future, rather than less of it: older bosses will, over time, retire, and be replaced by younger people who are more comfortable with staff working from home some of the time.

Wall Street Journal

German working-age population to shrink dramatically

Germany's working-age population is projected to decline by 4.3m by 2036, according to a report from the IW economic institute. The drop is attributed to retiring "baby boomers," a falling birth rate, and stricter migration policies. Holger Schaefer from the IW institute said: "Germany is not on the brink of demographic change - it is already in the middle of it . . . In just a few years, the economy will lack the workers needed to generate prosperity and sustain the welfare state in its current form." The IW institute said the government could arrest the decline in the working age population by encouraging people to work more, and making it easier to attract skilled workers from overseas.

France 24

The Peninsula

Malaysian nurses oppose recruitment of Indonesians

The Malaysian Male Nurses Association (MMN) says it opposes the recruitment of Indonesian nurses to address the country's healthcare workforce shortage. The organisation said that a thorough study is necessary before implementing such measures. The association highlighted concerns over what it said were differences in training standards and communication skills, which could impact patient care, and emphasised the need to prioritise local nursing graduates. The MMN has urged authorities to conduct a comprehensive impact assessment and consider the long-term implications for patient safety and local employment opportunities.

Straits Times

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