There is no doubt that Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic has imposed great challenges on government and private organizations around the world, causing serious effects on their operations and mechanism of providing their services. However, it has had some positive sides, the most prominent of which is the increasing efforts by countries and institutions to adopt digital transformation, and provision of services using electronic and smart channels

Recently, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) discussed  the way governments tackle the pandemic's impact on workplaces at its annual conference, held virtually, among many other issues and topics related to human resources, and the growing role of technology and artificial intelligence techniques in shaping the future of institutions

During my participation in one of the virtual sessions of the conference, I addressed the growing importance of technology in the work of governments and organizations, after the pandemic has become an integral part of our daily life, with an impact that cannot be missed in all aspects of life and work sectors

Therefore, organizations should be aware of the importance of employing technology and artificial intelligence techniques in developing the entire  work system, to train employees and develop their capabilities. At the same time, they should not overlook the importance of employee training to upgrade their digital skills, so that they could be able to deal with a new world of ever-changing technology

It is my belief that successful organizations will focus during the coming period on developing the analytical skills of their employees. Indeed, only the organizations with highly qualified, experienced, talented employees who are  capable of analyzing and forecasting, will be in a position to succeed in  shaping the future of their human resources, and improving their  performance, productivity, and competitiveness

I do not think in any way that the human resource challenges facing the GCC States are different from those facing all countries of the world. Perhaps the biggest challenge facing the region is how to meet the needs of different workforce generations, especially the younger generation whose needs and expectations differ from other generations

I also strongly believe that the GCC countries today have a tremendous opportunity to benefit from the potentials and capabilities of the younger generation, who make up the largest segment of society in those countries, as they are capable of keeping pace with the rapid technological changes and have the desire to participate in decision-making of their organizations

Dr. Abdulrahman Abdul Manan Al Awar

Director General of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources