Coined in the 1960s, the term “Human Resources”is used to depict the individuals that encompass the workforce of an organization. An organization’s human resources (also described as “Human Capital”)refers to the tasks within an organization, charged with the overall responsibility for setting and implementing strategies and policies, standards, systems and processes related to the management of employees, stretching from recruitment (resourcing), organizational development and business transformation until it reaches performance management, compensation, rewards and benefits management.

The human resources development frameworkwithin the Gulf petrochemical and chemical industries is the process of fostering the development of the environment thatensures the employees’efficient and productive engagement within the workplace. This derives its importance from the fact that higher employee engagement leads to stronger business performance and vice versa. Further, the human resources development’s programs within the Gulf industries are not just defined objects but a series of organized processeswith a specific learning objective that aims at aligning the supply of qualified employees and the capabilities of the current workforce with the Gulf industries’ ongoing and future business plans and requirements, thus maximizing return on investment.This is aligned withGPCA’s vision, which considers employees as an asset to the association as well as to the Gulfpetrochemical and chemical industry as a whole.

Key concerns encountering the Gulf petrochemical industry is the availability of human resources to meet its anticipated future growth in spite of the fact that in the current global economic downturn, there is now observably more talk about industry job losses. On a regional level, the pool of talent is shrinking across all industries in the Gulf – 60% of today’s workforces are only 20 years from retirement. B.Sc.’s that are gained in energy industry engineering disciplines, for instance, have declined 74% in just under 20 years in the Gulf. In addition, the expected loss for energy industry engineers in the Gulf within the next 5 years is greater than 80%, and for geoscientists is around 80%. Thus, talent shortages are combined with an increase in energy demand as well as in a need for innovation in the face of declining supplies. In other words, there is a distinctive need for talent management. Today, this is extremely important as the industry faces far more competition for talent from the expanding service and knowledge economies, and there is a significant percentage of the current workforce that is expected to retire in the next 10 years. While many examples can be cited to demonstrate the efforts, being undertaken by GPCA member companies, both individually and collectively, to support higher education and training to hundreds, clearly more work needs to be done regionally to help make the industry more attractive to employees as well as to future graduates. To this end, further coordinated efforts should be undertaken by the various players, including GPCA and its member companies, GCC governments, regulators and academia. The work of GPCA HR Committee in this area, for instance, holding annual events (Forums, Workshops and Training Programs) on human resources, is an important step in this direction. Employee recruitment forms a major part of an organization’s overall resourcing strategies, which the organization needs to survive and succeed in the short- to medium- and even longer-term. Recruitment activities need to be responsive to the ever-increasingly competitive market to secure qualified and capable recruits at all levels.

GPCA, as a “think-tank” for the Gulf petrochemical and chemical industry, felt the crucial need to address key challenges, such as the shrinking in global and regional pool talents as well as in the talent management; and, hence, launched  GPCA Human Resources Committee on March 1, 2007. GPCA HR Committee acts as a platform, where HR executives from the member companies collectively assess and address the challenges, encountering the industry, and thereby assist in fulfilling GPCA’s aims and objectives.
Given that the success of any organization depends on the people working for it, GPCA HR Committee had set a key goal to help its member companiesthrough:

• Identify and analyze human resource issues, define optimized systems to recruit and train the right people.
• Promote best practices in the petrochemical and chemical business.
• Ensure proper exchange of information on best practices through specialized workshops and training programs.

Given that leadership development must be rooted in the business in order to be successful, the GPCA HR Committee believes that leadership development was a key area, on which the GCC chemical companies need to focus on the future both individually and in cooperation, such as between chemical companies, or at a regional level.

Among the key objectivesfor launching GPCA HR Committee is to exchangeknowledge and best practices in the HRdevelopment among the member companies.
The committee’sscope of work includes all issues relevant tohuman resources development, including recruiting, hiring, promoting, compensating and training of their member companies’ employees. In all of its activities,GPCA HRCommitteegives consideration to the followings:

• Adheresto GPCA policy and by-laws to assure that its activities are in compliance with all applicable antitrust and competition policy laws and regulations.
• Advocates the notion that companies, organizations and associations should consider HR functions as a strategic business partner.
• Focuseson upgrading the leadership capabilities as well as the HR professional understanding within the member companies.

GPCA HR Committee supports GPCA Board of Directors by discussing and analyzing all HR issues that come before GPCA. The committee also extends recommendations to the Board; those recommendationsinclude actions on all HR issues, which the committee judges worthwhile pursuing on behalf of GPCA.
In addition, the committee developsand reviews a three-year strategic plan for the Board, identifying future issues that the committee expects to address.
The HRCommittee develops and fosters relationships among GPCA members that have an interest in human relations issues. It also compiles, shares and exchange resources, knowledge, opinions and experience on human relations issues among GPCA members.
Furthermore, the GPCA HR Committee aims at developing links between GPCA and those regional and international organizations, governments, authorities and communities with an interest in human relations issues.

GPCAHR Committee is comprised of no more than (15)fifteen members from GPCA Full Member and Associate Member companies. The ratio of Full andAssociate Members will be of a percentage of 70% Full Members and 30% Associate Members. Nominations for the HR Committee shall be made by the members of GPCA, addressed to the Secretary General. The application will be subject to the approval of the HRCommittee Chairman. No company shall have more than one representative on the Committee. Members should be senior managers/decision makers or the above with (5) five or more years’ experience in the industry.