Changes to Oman’s hiring laws may leave the sultanate with a skills shortage, experts said.
Oman's Ministry of Manpower on Monday ordered firms to reserve a host of jobs for Omanis in financial sectors such as accounting, auditing, brokerage, insurance, money exchange and property.
The contracts of expatriates who currently occupy these positions will not be renewed and new positions in these categories will be available only to Omanis, according to the ministry’s order.
Labour Minister Mahad Baouin said in comments carried by ONA, the state news agency, that the employment initiatives announced this month should provide up to 20,000 vacancies to Omanis.
The ministry also plans to house 80 per cent of the registered job applicants, Mr Baouin said.
It will encourage young Omanis to enrol in training programmes and acquire more skills, he said.
But market analysts expressed pessimism over the feasibility of such plans, warning of consequences for the small country's economy.
Oman’s rating in all international agencies’ reports has been in constant decline with a negative outlook in the past few years, owing to the fall in oil prices and the pandemic.
"We understand the need to employ Omanis, but there are certain steps that have to be made first," Loai Al Jashmi, a recruitment specialist, told The National.
“Some of these jobs are very specialised and we cannot just have expatriates go and vacate them all of a sudden. We need to recruit Omanis first and train them for such positions beforehand.”
The Omanisation drive started in 2000 as part of the country’s Vision 2020 economic initiative. A number of occupations were reserved for nationals at the time, but rapid negative global developments forced the government to retain its expatriate population.
“We now have another vision, the 2040, but this time with oil prices that are a fraction of what they were back when the 2020 vision was announced,” Mr Salim Al Qahtani, an economic analyst, said.
“The new Omanisation drive might work since we have thousands of graduates with no jobs. But there are challenges. Expatriates have wide and long experience, while our young graduates do not,” he said.
More than 80,000 Omani graduates are currently looking for jobs, according to Ministry of Manpower figures, while about 300,000 expatriates left Oman in 2020. Private companies have struggled to make ends meet owing to poor performance during the pandemic.
But young Omani graduates, who are eager to land their first job, support the decision of job reservations for them.
"It is the right thing to do and something that has to happen. Job reservations will make sure we get employment opportunities. I graduated since last summer but I am still searching," said Ali Al Siyabi, a business graduate from the Modern College of Business & Science.
“Let’s hope the authorities will not change their mind.”
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers Pickford (Everton), Pope (Burnley), Henderson (Manchester United)
Defenders Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Chilwell (Chelsea), Coady (Wolves), Dier (Tottenham), Gomez (Liverpool), James (Chelsea), Keane (Everton), Maguire (Manchester United), Maitland-Niles (Arsenal), Mings (Aston Villa), Saka (Arsenal), Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Foden (Manchester City), Henderson (Liverpool), Grealish (Aston Villa), Mount (Chelsea), Rice (West Ham), Ward-Prowse (Southampton), Winks (Tottenham)
Forwards: Abraham (Chelsea), Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Kane (Tottenham), Rashford (Manchester United), Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Sterling (Manchester City)
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RESULTS
Bantamweight
Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)
(Split decision)
Featherweight
Hussein Salim (IRQ) beat Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)
(Round 1 submission, armbar)
Catchweight 80kg
Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Otabek Kadirov (UZB)
(Round-1 submission, rear naked choke)
Lightweight
Ho Taek-oh (KOR) beat Ronald Girones (CUB)
(Round 3 submission, triangle choke)
Lightweight
Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) beat Damien Lapilus (FRA)
(Unanimous points)
Bantamweight
Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)
(Round 1 TKO)
Featherweight
Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)
(Round 1 rear naked choke)
Flyweight
Shannon Ross (TUR) beat Donovon Freelow (USA)
(Unanimous decision)
Lightweight
Dan Collins (GBR) beat Mohammad Yahya (UAE)
(Round 2 submission D’arce choke)
Catchweight 73kg
Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM) beat Islam Mamedov (RUS)
(Round 3 submission, kneebar)
Bantamweight world title
Xavier Alaoui (MAR) beat Jaures Dea (CAM)
(Unanimous points 48-46, 49-45, 49-45)
Flyweight world title
Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)
(Round 1 RSC)
