major changes and the challenges - ajyal...

MajorChangesandtheChallenges“OmanJobMarket”

April2018Researchby:Engineer.MasoudAliAlMaskarySr.HumanResourcesConsultant


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Contents1.Objectives2.ExecutiveSummary3.RoyalDecreesandLegislations OmanisationinthePrivateSector

MinimumWageIncreasetoOMR200OmaniLabourLaw–ChangesandAmendmentsTheFormationofLabourUnionsAnnual3%increaseMinimumWageIncreasetoOMR325PartTimeEmploymentforOmaniNationalsSocialInsurance-PASI-(Changes&Benefits)ThePublicAuthorityforManpowerRegistry(PAMR)NationalIntegratedManpowerRegister(NIMR)TheNationalCEOProgrammeTheNationalTrainingFund(NTF)TheNationalLeadershipandCompetitivenessProgram(NLCP)

TheNationalLeadershipandCompetitivenessProgram(NLCP)4.ObservationsandRecommendationsontheImpactoftheLegislationsonthePrivateSector5.GovernmentSector(CivilService)

GovernmentEmployees(Omanis&Expatriates)2011to2016NewGovernmentSalaryStructureInternationalMonitoryFund

6.ThePrivateSectorOverviewofPrivateSectorSalariesforOmanis2016vs.2011OverallOmanSalaryIncrease2013to2018PrivateSectorBenefits

7.SultanateofOmanOman’sPopulationOverviewofOmanFertilityRateandUrbanizationOverviewofOmanCrudeProductionPrivateSectorGrowthinOman

8.TheUnemployment&OmanisationUnemploymentinOmanandtheGCC2017JobSeekersinOmanPrivateSectorOmanis&Expatriates(2011to2016)Re-IntroducingtheUnemploymentConcept

9.TheFutureofOmanisationintheprivateSector10.OmaniTalent(TheTrends&MajorChallenges)

OverviewOmaniGraduatesinHigherEducationInstitutionsSourcingTalentthrough[PublicAuthorityforManpowerRegistry(PAMR)]SourcingTalent(ThePrivateSectorChallenges)SkillsShortage(WorldWide,MENARegion&GCC)HighTurnoverinKSAandinOmanTheMillennialsand“Z”GenerationChallengesTheEmployeesEngagementChallenge

11.WorkforceOverview&Observations(Omanis&Expatriates)OverviewofExpatriatesperSkillsCategories(2010-2016)OverviewofWorkforceSkillsCategoriesintheprivatesector(2016)OverviewofWorkforceEducationLevelinthePrivateSector(2016)

12.AttractionandRetention(TheTrends&MajorChallenges)SchoolDropoutsSecondarySchoolGraduatesUniversityGraduates&ExperiencedProfessionalsAttractingthrough(TheJobExhibitions&Careerfairs)Attractingthrough(TheTraditionalMethods)Attractingthrough(TheSocialMedia)TheChallengesof“JobSeekers”EmploymentOpportunitiesforOmanis

13.Movingfrom“Omanisation”to“Creationoftherightjobs”14.ThePowerofthePrivateSector15.FinalConclusion&Recommendations


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1.Objectives• ToprovideanoverviewofthemainchangesintheOmanilabourlawlegislationsand

MinisterialDecisionsandanalyzeitsimpactontheprivatesector,thelabourmarketandtheworkforce

• ToprovideanoverviewofthecurrentandthefutureoverviewofOman• Tohighlighttheprivatesectorremunerationimprovements• TohighlightthechallengesofunemploymentinOmanandhowtomanagetheJob

seekersintheprivatesector• TohighlightthechallengesthemarketfacesonOmanisation• Tohighlightthetrendsandchallengesofsourcingtalentlocally,andthevarious

methodsofattractionandretention• Tohighlightthechallengesofschooldropouts,secondarydiploma,collegeand

universitygraduates• Toprovidepossiblesolutionsandrecommendationsonjobcreation

2.ExecutiveSummaryOverviewThisreporthighlightsthejourneySultanateofOmanwentthroughduringthelast7yearsandthemajorchangesinthelabourlaw&legislationsthathastakenplaceandhowthesechangesreflectedintotheprivatesectorandtheworkforce,onemayarguethatthesechangeswereintroducedinphases,yestrueandcommendable,howeverfortheEmployersintheprivatesectorthechangestookplacefastandwereunexpectedandorganizationshadtofacethechallenges,makedrasticchanges,adoptandconformtothenewregulationsintheOmaniLabourLaw,thechangeshadahugefinancialimpactintheprivatesectorandespeciallyforthestartupsandtheSME’s.In2011theaverageoilpricewasat$100vs.$55in2017(50%downfrom2011),andtheunemploymentnumbersin2011wasestimatedat170,000accumulationsofseveralyearswhilstinJuly2017wasonly44,000(74%downfrom2011)andmajorityarerecentfreshgraduates.Wherearewetoday?Theunemploymentin2017isatit’slowesteverandmajorityofJobseekershavejustgraduatedfromSchools,CollegesorUniversities.Thechangesthattookplacesentapositivemessagethatthegovernmenthasbeenresponsiveenoughtomarketsituationandpressures,andactedfasttocontainandstabilizetheprivatesectorinOmanandonbehalfofthegovernmenttheMinistryofManpowerwascapableofintroducingpositivechanges.ThechangeswereaimedtoimprovetheworkconditionsandthewellbeingofOmaniemployeesandhadaverypositivefinancialimpactfortheOmaniemployeesworkingin


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theprivatesector,howeverthiswasnotwellcapitalizedandnotwellbrandedbythegovernment,MinistryofManpoweroreventhemediatothegeneralpublicandusesuchchangestosendapositivemessageandattractOmanisintoworkingintheprivatesector.StilltheprivatesectortodateisnotseenasanattractiveplacetoworkbymanyOmanisandthathasimpactedontakingemploymentintheprivatesector,Omanisstillviewtheiroptionsandhavehighhopesandperceivehighpossibilitiesofgettingagovernmentjob,beitintheCivilServicesectororintheRoyalSultanForces,ortheRoyalOmanPoliceandthiscontinuestobeagreatburdenonthegovernment.Whereweneedtobe?ThisreporthighlightsthechallengesOmanfacesandwillfaceinthefutureintheprivatesectorwithrespecttojobcreation,sourcinglocaltalent,retaininglocaltalentandthefutureofHumanCapitalInvestments(HCI).Thejourneydoesnotendhere,Omanhasalongwaytogoandtheeffortsandtheworkwhichhasbeenputinplaceduringthelast7yearsmustbereviewedthoroughlyandtheMinistryofManpowermustreflectthepositivesandtheareastoimprovefromallthechangesthattookplace,andtopreparenewregulationstoenabletheprivatesectortoflourishandmovefromsurvivingtothrivingphase,theMinistryofManpowertoworkmonthonmonthtomaintainthe3%orlessunemploymentratestipulatedintheNationalProgramforEnhancingEconomicDiversification(TANFEEDH)andfortheprivatesectortobecometheNumber#1choiceforjobseekers.Howtogetthere?ThisreportprovidesaclearroadmapforOmantoachieveitsvision,andwillcomplementtheimplementationplans.Thenextfewyearsarecrucialwithlowoilprices,economicdownturnandtheslowmarketgrowth,theprivatesectorcannotabsorbanynewchangesorregulationswithfinancialimpact.Thenext3yearsshouldbeaperiodofstabilizingthemarketandtostartpreparingforthenextphaseofpost2020,thiscanonlyworkwithbettercollaborationbetweenthepublicandtheprivatesectors,detailsolutionsandrecommendationstoovercomemajorcriticalissuesandchallengesareclearlyhighlightedinthisreport.


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3.RoyalDecreesandLegislationsThe standard Arab gulf directory for occupational classification and specification(MinisterialDecisionNo341/2007)TheprivatesectormustuseandconformtotheoccupationalclassificationssetbytheMinistryofManpoweranditcontainsabout1966jobtitles.OmanisationinthePrivateSector–(MinisterialDecisionNo321/2009)This decision stipulates that the private sector must conform to Omanisationpercentages stipulated as per the specified occupations or industry,when itwas firstissued the Omanisation varied from 15% in some industries all the way to 100%Omanisation, theMinistry ofManpower regularly revises the percentages as per thechanges&thechallengesinthemarket.MinimumWageIncreasetoOMR200(effectiveMarch2011)Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Bakri, Manpower Minister has issued the MinisterialDecision No. 77/2011 fixing the minimum wage for the national manpower at theprivatesectoratOMR180basicsalaryandOMR20astheallowancepermonth.OmaniLabourLaw–ChangesandAmendments(Oct2011)TheLabourLawisregulatedbySultan’sDecreeNo35/2003andissuedbytheMinistryofManpowerandappliestoallemployersandemployeesintheprivatesector.WithRoyalDecreeNo.113/2011amendmentsandchangestotheOmaniLabourLaw,RoyalDecreeNo.35/2003hasbeenpublished.TheaimofthenewchangeshasbeentoclearupuncertainareasintheLabourLawandclarifyanyambiguities;ThechangesandamendmentstotheOmaniLabourLawareasfollow;1. Thedefinitionofgrosssalaryhasbeenamendedby includingallallowances(Royal

Decree113/2011)2. Introducing the 5-day working week and the maximum working hours has been

reducedfrom48hoursaweekto45hoursperweek3. Emergencyleavehasbeennowincreasedfrom4daysto6daysperyear4. Theincreasedofmaternityleaveto50days(previouslymaximum6weeks)5. Entitlementof 30 calendardaysper year and is payableon thebasis of the gross

salary.(Previouslyentitlementinthefirstyearofemploymentwasonly15calendardaysofleave)

6. Transferofanemploymentcontractonaprojectfromonecontractortotheother7. Omanisation -The Ministry of Manpower from time to time has stipulated the

percentageofOmanisationrequired ineachsectorofeconomicactivity,andifnotmetemployerisliabletopayapenalty

8. Acaponovertime,workisalsocappedatmaximum12hoursperday9. Theremovalofthecaponcompensationawardforunfairdismissal,thisisnowtobe

decidedandruledbyOmancourts.


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FormationofTradeUnions(MinisterialDecisionNo.570/2012)The formation of trade unions is set out in Ministerial Decision 570 issued by theministry in2012,outliningthetermsfortheestablishment, registrationandoperationof labour syndicates, trade unions and the apex General Federation of Omani TradeUnions.Annual3%increase(effectiveOct2013)AMinisterialDecision(No32/2012)issuedonJanuary30,2012byH.E.SheikhAbdullahbin Nasser Al Bakri, Minister of Manpower, which called for a minimum periodicalallowanceof3%of thebasic salary tobemadeavailable toprivate sectoremployeesannuallyevery1stofJanuaryAnamendmentof thecriteriawas issuedby theMinisterialDecision541/2013,whichbecameeffectivefrom13October2013,stipulatingonlyOmanisareentitledforthe3%annuallyevery1stofJanuary.MinimumWageIncreasetoOMR325(effectiveJuly2013)H.E.SheikhAbdullahbinNasserAlBakri,theMinisterofManpower,issuedaMinisterialDecision (No. 222/2013) to set theminimumwage forOmanisworking in theprivatesector.Theminimumgrosssalary forOmanisworking intheprivatesectorwasOMR200permonth. Effective July 1, 2013, the minimum gross salary for Omanis working in theprivatesectorincreasedtoOMR325permonth.PartTimeEmploymentforOmaniNationals(effective30Sept2013)In an attempt to develop the laws relating to part time jobs in the Sultanate, theMinistry of Manpower issued a Ministerial Decision (520/2013), which permitsemployersintheprivatesectortorecruitOmaniemployeesonaparttimebasis.TheMinisterial Decision (40/2017), issued on January 26 by H.E. Sheikh Abdullah binNasserbinAbdullahAlBakri,MinisterofManpower,inessencecarriesforwardfromtheolddecisionwitha fewchangesbrought in tobroaden thescopeof those looking forpart-timejobs.TheMinisterialDecisionstatesthatanemployermayhireaparttimeronthefollowingconditions:• theworkhoursshouldnotexceedfourhoursperday• thewageperhourshouldnotbelessthanRO3• parttimejobsareconfinedtoOmaninationalsonly• the part timer is also known as “job seeker” and applies from age 15 and work

between6amand6pm,withanemploymentcontractstipulatingalltheabove,• parttimers'ratioisnotmorethan20%oftheOmanisationratio• Thetargetedsectorsincludetourism,transportandlogistics,mining,andfisheries


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SocialInsurance(PASI)-Changes&Benefits(effectiveJuly2014)Royal Decree No (61/2013) was issued to amend some provisions of Social SecurityBenefits,tofinancetheseincreasesinbenefits,thecontributionratehasbeenincreasedby3%distributedasfollows:• Additional 0.5% to be paid by the employee (new contribution rate becomes7%insteadof6.5%ofthegrosssalary)• Additional 1% to be paid by the employer (new contribution rate becomes 11.5%instead of 10.5% of the gross salary). 10.5% for the coverage against retirement,disability and death. 1% for the coverage against occupational diseases and workinjuries.•theadditional1.5%,tobecontributedbythegovernmentraisingitscontributionfrom4%ofthegrosssalaryto5.5%Theamendmentsincluded:• increasing theaccrual factor to calculatepension from2.5% to3% for each yearofservice.• Raising the minimum pension from RO150 to RO202.5 per month. The maximumeligiblepensionfromPASIwillremain80%ofthenewsalary(basicplusallowances).•Increasingtheminimumpensionincasesofnon-occupationaldisabilityordeathfrom40%ofthebasicsalaryto50%ofthebasicsalaryplusallowances,whicheverisgreater.•Increasingtheamountofdailyallowancesinthecaseofworkinjuriesfrom75%ofthedailywageto100%ofthedailywageforthefirstsixmonthsthen75%forthenextsixmonths after which the case will be evaluated by themedical committee which willdecidewhethertheworkercanremain inhis/her jobandreceivedisabilitypensionorcontinuereceivingthedailyallowancesforaperioditdetermines.SocialInsurance(PASI)-Changes&Benefits(effectiveJuly2014)ThePublicAuthority forSocial Insurance (PASI) issuedMinisterialDecisions (R/8/2014and9/2014).TheseMinisterialDecisionsconfirmthatthesocialinsurancecontributionswillbeassessedonanemployee'stotalgrosssalary,subjecttoamonthlygrosssalarycap of OMR 3,000. The allowances that form part of the gross salary are clarified asfollow;• Allowancesareeither incashor inkind(employerswouldhavetoputamonetary

valueonsuchbenefits)• Allowances defined as regularly paid allowances or at least four times during the

year.

During2011to2014theprivatesectorexperiencedsignificantincreasesinRemunerations,Benefits&Pensionimprovements


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ThePublicAuthorityforManpowerRegistry(PAMR)Royal Decree No (89/2011) was issued on 18/10/2011 for the establishment of theAuthority, and the objectiveswas to establish a national database ofOmaniswith alltheirprofessionaldetails andhas set criteria’sdefining the Job seekers andhow theyqualifytoberegisteredandensureactivejobseekersonlyremainintheregister.AtinceptionthistaskwaschallengingespeciallytheyinheritedalargedatabaseofOmanisandhadtorefineitandcomeupwitharealisticnumberof“TheRealJobSeekers”,early2013itwasestimatedtohave170,000registeredcandidatestheyhadanactivecallcentertocallandfollowupwiththejobseekersandprovidethemwithjobopportunities,throughthechallengesandthelearning’s,acommendableefforttookplacetocleanupthedatabaseandfortheauthorityandtheMinistryofManpowertoworkwiththe“RealJobSeekers”,nowadaysjobseekerswhoarenotworkingmustupdatetheirrecordswith(PAMR)regularlytoensurethatheorsheisstillconsideredasa“jobseeker”.Thereisstillscopeforimprovementandputtingtheonusonthejobseekersratherthantheauthority,ortheMinistryofManpower.NationalIntegratedManpowerRegister(NIMR)Singapore-basedCrimsonLogic,aproviderofe-governmentsolutionsandservices,haswon a deal for the design and implementation of a National Integrated ManpowerRegister(NIMR)projectinOman,accordingtoareportItwasawardedbyOman’sPublicAuthorityforManpowerRegister(PAMR)andInformationalTechnologyAuthority(ITA).(Source:OmanDailyObserverreport)The NIMRwill be an electronic bridge that will link relevant job opportunities in theprivateandpublicsectorstocitizens,aspartofOman’sdigitalstrategy,itsaidquotingareport published the Singaporean media. The new register project will facilitateeffectivenominationandmatchingofemploymentseekerstojobproviders.(MiddleEastBusinessNews28July2015).Sincetheannouncementtherehasbeennonewsonprogressofthisproject(basedoninternetsearch)TheNationalCEOProgrammeWiththeblessingsofHisMajesty,SultanQaboosbinSaid,onthe17thofMarch2015,the Public Private Partnership Committee launched the National CEO Program (NCP)underthesupervisionoftheInstituteofCapabilityDevelopmentattheDiwanofRoyalCourt. The NCP in collaboration with International Institute of ManagementDevelopment (IMD) delivers a unique six-module program designed to deliver atransformationallearningexperienceforseniorOmaniprivatesectorexecutives.Thisisa strategic initiative aimed at identifying and developing a community of world-classcompetitiveOmaniCEOsastohelpmaximisetheperformanceoftheprivatesectorandthenation’seconomy.(Source–ceo.om)


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TheNationalTrainingFund(NTF)His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said issued Royal Decree No. 48/2016 establishes anationaltrainingfundandpromulgatesitssystemoffunctioning.The National Training Fund’s strategy aims to build the capabilities of the Omaniworkforceinordertobridgethegapbetweenthemarketsupplyanddemand.NTFaimsto foster collaboration amongst priority sectors to identify employment opportunitiesand understand current requirements aswell as future needs. In order to be able toachieveitsgoalstheFundhastakenfirststepstowardsevaluatingthecurrentstateoftraining efforts, benchmarking with experienced nations, and developing a roadmapthat will assist in implementation, some of the focus areas include mappingemployment opportunities in strategic projects across the Sultanate. In addition, NTFplansonconductingnumerousstakeholderengagementinitiativesinordertoaligntheprivate,publicandemploymentmarketwiththemainpurposeofdevelopingadatabasethat illustrates theOmaniworkforce supply vs. demand requirements, thiswill all bedoneinparallelwhileestablishingthepoliciesandproceduresthatgovernNTF.H.E.Dr.AlRumhy,Chairmanof theboard,placedemphasison the fundamentalneedfor the Fund to direct its resources efficiently towards strategic projects andnationalinitiativesthatwillcreatejobsandreducethenumberofjobseekersnationally.(Source–OmanObserverJan2016)TheNationalLeadershipandCompetitivenessProgram(NLCP)Under the patronage of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, the Diwan of Royal Court,representedbytheInstituteofCapabilityDevelopment(ICD),launchedinMay2017theNationalLeadershipandCompetitivenessProgram(NLCP)forthegovernmentsector,aninitiativebythePublicPrivatePartnershipTaskforce(Sharaka).The program is an example of the Public-Private Partnership Taskforce’s (Sharaka)ambition to drive people development (leadership,management and professional) inboth public and private sectors. This program intends to develop those capabilitiesrequired by the labour market to unlock cross-sector economic performance andgrowthinOman,thefirstprogrammecommencedinSeptember2017.TheInsuranceSectorOmanisationSheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al Bakri, Minister of Manpower, has issued a Ministerialdecree No 2018/113 determining the percentage of the national workforce in theinsurancesector,50%attheseniormanagementlevel,75%atthemiddlemanagementleveland90percentatthespecializedandoperationaljobby2020.


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4. Observations and Recommendations on the Impact of the RoyalDecrees,NewLegislations&AmendmentsonthePrivateSectorThe standard Arab gulf directory for occupational classification and specification(MinisterialDecisionNo341/2007)The above decision has been used by the private sector for the last 10 years, over adecadeagosinceitsinception.Thelast10yearstheworldandtheArabGulfStateshavegonethroughmajorchangesandtransformation,areaslikedigitalworld,socialmedia,communication,andmanymore.Studieshave takenplace to identify future skills and future jobneeds, similarlymanyjobsaredisappearing[allthedevelopednationsonearthwillseejoblossratesofupto47%within thenext25years,according toa recentOxford study. “Nogovernment isprepared”TheEconomistreports].Similarlymanyoldjobshavedisappearedinthemarketandwillcontinuetodosowiththerapidchangesandtransformation,thisjointArabclassificationisamajorobstacleindefining the right jobsnowand for the future, inOman thedirectoryhasabout1966classified job titles,whilst a nation like Singaporewith a population of just about 5.6millionand3.6millionworkforcehasover13,000classifiedjobs,thisenablesSingaporetobebetterpreparedforthefutureneedsandtohaveatrueandpreciseclassificationoftheirworkforce

TheLast10years…..

g  TheStandardArabGulfDirectoryforoccupa=onalclassifica=onandspecifica=on(MinisterialDecisionNo.341/2007)

g  SeHngOmanisa=onlevelsinthePrivateSector(MinisterialDecisionNo.321/2009)

g  MinimumWageatOMR140forOmanis

OIL&MARKETCRASH

MAJORCHANGES

MAJORIMPROVMENTS

GOVERNMENTAUSTERITY

g  MinimumWageIncreasetoOMR200(MinisterialDecisionNo.77/2011)

g  OmaniLabourLaw–ChangesandAmendments(RoyalDecreeNo.113/2011)

g  ThePublicAuthorityforManpowerRegistry(PAMR)[RoyalDecreeNo.89/2011]

g  Annual3%increase(MinisterialDecisionNo32/2012)

g  Forma=onofLabourUnions(MinisterialDecisionNo.570/2012)

g  MinimumWageincreasetoOMR325(MinisterialDecisionNo.222/2013)

g  PartTimeEmploymentforOmanis(MinisterialDecision520/2013)

g  SocialInsurance-PASI-Changes&Benefits(RoyalDecreeNo.61/2013)

g  SocialInsurance-PASI-Changes&Benefits(MinisterialDecisionsNo.R/8/2014and9/2014)

g  Na=onalCEOProgramme2015

g  Na=onalTrainingFund(NTF)–[RoyalDecreeNo.48/2016]

g  PartTimeEmploymentAmendments(MinisterialDecisionNo.40/2017)

g  TheNa=onalLeadershipandCompe==venessProgram(NLCP)-2017

g  Crea=onof25kjobsCouncilofMinistersannouncement(Oct.2017)

2007-2010 2011-2012 2013-2014 2015-2017


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2009Omanisation in the Private Sector - Ministerial Decision No. (321/2009), stipulatedpercentages todifferentoccupationsor industries, thepercentageshasbeenevolvingovertimeeither inmakingthepercentagesmuchtougheroramendand loweringthepercentagesasitseesfit,in2009theaveragestipulatedOmanisationpercentageacrossall occupations and industries was 66% against the actual overall Omanisationpercentageof 17%. Itwas evidentmoving theOmanisationpercentages from17% to66% was a very challenging task, infact theMinistry of Manpower had proposed animpossible task for theprivate sectorand itself, theefforts toOmanisehas served itspurpose and well commended, however the facts as of 2017 is that majority of theprivate sector have not achieved the stipulated Omanisation targets of 2009 (2016Omanisationpercentageintheprivatesectorisonlyat12.5%).Recentlyin2016discussionshastakenplacebetweentheOmanSocietyforContractorsand theMinistry ofManpower on the challenges of the construction sector and thedeclineoftheOmanisationto8%andhowtorevivetheOmanisationbetween2016to2020, its isexpectedtorevisedtheOmanisationwithintheconstruction&contractingindustry&loweringtheOmanisationpercentagespreviouslysetfrom30%to10%ThefuturechallengesareimmenseandtheMinistryofManpowermustlearnfromthepastandtakeanactiveroleinpavingrealisticfutureOmanisationpercentages.2011Thechangesthatcameintoeffecttooktheemployersbysurprisestartingwithincreaseof the minimum wage OMR200, the changes were very significant and had a hugefinancialimpactontheprivatesectorlargeandsmallbusinesses.Insimplecalculationintroducinga5workdaysschedulemeaningtheprivatesectorhadtowork52workingdayslessinayear,andfurthertothatintroducinga30calendardayannualleaveinsteadof15calendardays,ifyoucombinebothoftheaboveitwillbe2.9calendarmonths(dayslossatwork).Laterduring2011theincreaseofminimumwagetoOMR200cameintoeffect.2012TheOmanLabourLawpromulgatedbyRoyalDecreeNo.35of2003,asamended(the“OLL”),providesthatworkersmayformamongthemselvestradeunions/syndicatesforthepurposesof (a) protecting their interests, (b) defending their rights, (c) improvingtheirfinancialandsocialstatus,and(d)representingtheminall issuesrelatedtotheiraffairs. The Ministerial Decision No. 570/2012 came in to existence to regulate theunions activities and clarify the rights they can exercise and the restrictions and theactivitiesthatprohibitsthetradeunionfromengaging.(Source-Curtis-17thOct2013)

InOmanthejobdirectoryintheMinistryofManpowerhasabout1,966classifiedjobtitles,whilstSingaporehasover13,000classifiedjobtitles


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2013Theintroductionin2013ofthe3%annualincrement,yearonyearwithoutplacinganycap for job level or job value as practiced internationally and as it is practiced in thegovernmentsector inOman, thishasandwillhaveanadverseeffectonbusinesses inthefuturebynotcappingthesalarybasedonjoblevelorjobvalue.In 2013 theminimumwage increased to OMR 325 (gross), since 2011 theminimumwage was OMR 200 and prior to 2010 the minimum wage was OMR 140, the 2013increase had a significant impact on the private sector, companies had to revise thesalaries of 84,576 employees in theprivate sector (registeredby endof 2011),whichamountsto48%ofOmanisworkingintheprivatesector.By2014theaboveincreaseatlowerlevelhadaspiraleffectandthesectoradjusted&increasedsalaries forOmmanisalreadyatthebands(OMR325to400), (OMR400to500),&(OMR500to600)forequitypurposesandstability,thismeansadjustmenttookplacetoaverylargenumberofOmanisinthesector.(Refertostatisticalyearlybooks2012,2013&2014)Oman is rankedamongst the topat19thplaceamongst the95countriesonminimumwage, the table below demonstrates the changes / increase in minimum wages andpercentageincreasesovertheyears.

(Source-www.countryeconomy.com/national-minimum-wage/oman),

2014Thesocialinsurance(PASI)benefitswereimproveditwasreflectedinanincreaseinthecontribution not just the percentage but it was based on gross salary instead of theusual basic salary (aligning to the GCC private pension funds), this was another unexpected change for the private sector, and it came in to effect in themiddle of thefinancialyear,Companieshadtopaythedifferenceandadjusttheirbalancesheets.Across theGCC,publicpension fundsamount toUS$397billion, representingnearlyaquarterofGDPandUS$15,000pernational.GCCGovernmentsarerelookingatexistingmodelsofbothpublicand internationalpensionfundstoensuretheyaresustainable.(Source-EY’sGCCWealthandAssetManagement2015report–“Fastgrowth,divergentpaths”,launchedattheFundForumMiddleEast2015)“PublicpensionfundsintheGCCareonlyjustcomingofage,justoverafifthisinvestedinlocalequities.Twobigissuesarecurrentlydrivingsignificantrethinkinginthesector.

Year LabourLaw MinWage %Increase2013 MinisterialdecisionNo.222/2013 325 63%2011 MinisterialdecisionNo.77/2011 200 43%2010 140

Minimumwageincreasein2011was43%fromitspreviousyear,2yearslaterin2013another63%increaseofminimumwagewasimposedontheprivatesector!


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The first is thesustainabilityofpublicpension funds fornationals,given the relativelysmall size of the funds, demographics and the gap between contribution and benefitlevels.Secondly,thereisagrowingrecognitionbymanyemployersthatendofservicebenefit (EOSB)payments receivedbyexpatriatesareneitheradequatenor suitableasanalternativetoapension.ThesizeofGCCpensionfunds is relatively low,comparedwithemployer-providedpensionfunds intheUK, forexample,wheretheseassetsarelargerthanGDPandfundsperindividualarenearlyfourtimestheGCCaverage”.(Source-GeorgeTriplow,MENAWealth&AssetManagementLeader,EY)TheOmanipensionfundsareyoungandmayfacemorechallengesinthefuture,allGulfcountriesincludingOmanhaveaverylowshareofpeopleclassifiedaselderly(aged60andabove), in2013thePrivateSectorpension inOmanhad172000contributorsand9000 pensioners, The government sector had 280000 contributors and 76000pensioners and the Corporate pension funds had 6500 contributors and 1800pensioners, 19% overall in all the funds are pensioners and beneficiaries of theircontribution (27% ingovernmentpension fundvs.5% inprivatesectorpension fund).Thenumberofpensionersisprojectedtorisesignificantlyinthenext20years,thiswillputastrainonthepensionfundsinvestmentsandreserves.Thegovernmentneedstotakeanactiverole“Now”toensurethesefundsarehealthyandsustainable.(Source–Muhanna&CoActuaries&Consultants–OECD3rdAnnualroundtableDec2013)

2015The National CEO Programme; the programme was launched and a well-establishedbody, 3 groups ofOmani nationals have undergone such leadership Programme by areputedinternationalfirm“IMD”.Sharakaisyettoreapthefruitsofthetrainingsinceits establishment and launch in 2015, and needs to follow up with the successfulcandidates and review their career prospects in taking over leadership roles such asChiefExecutiveOfficersorManagingDirector level.Weareyet to see success storiesfrom the National CEO Programme, the successes of the programme is not onlymeasuredbyhowmanygraduatefromtheprogramme“thisistheeasypart”,buthowmanywillcontributepositivelyintakingCEO’srolesinthefuture.Thecredibilityofthepregamewillbeinjeopardyandwilltouchbaseonthestipulatedsetofcriteriasandtheselection.

TheprivatesectorsubscriptionfromtheemployersandtheemployeesvarywithintheGCCCountriesbetween15%to18.5%,Omanhasthehighestsubscriptionrate

of18.5%plus5.5%Governmentcontributiontotaling24%


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2016TheNationalTrainingFund(NTF);OmanisyettoseethedetailsoftheNTF,thestrategy,theimplementationplan,includinganattractivewebsitethatenablesthesectorstotapinandutilizethefund,i.e.ThePublicEstablishmentforIndustrialEstates(PEIE)andTheOmanInternationalLogisticsgroup(Asyad)hassignedmemorandumofunderstandingtoworkwithNTFontraininganddevelopmentofOmanis.TheNTFneedstomatureandbetransparentonitsrules,sourcesofitsfundandhowwellthisfundisutilizedandhowthe private sector can fully tap in and utilize the NTF. Opportunities should expandbeyondthejobseekerstraining,butenablingOmanisworkinginthesectorintogrowand take on higher challenging roles after further training or development or takinghighereducationstudies.2017TheNationalLeadershipandCompetitivenessProgram(NLCP), firstbatchcommencedinSeptember2017,awell-structuredprogrammewithanadvisorybodytooverseeitsimplementation.ByOctober2017,theCouncilofMinistersannouncedthatatotalof25,000jobswouldbe created for Omanis in the state’s public and private sectors beginning December2017.2018–LatestupdatesOn6thDecember2017.4GovernmentMinisterswerehostedintheTVprogramme“WeWorkTogether”,MinisterofCommerce&Industry,MinisterofManpower,MinisterofTourismandMinisterofTransportation,discussing theirplansonhowto find jobs forthe25,000outofthetotal47,528jobseekers.2companieswereappointed,“Mujeed”tomanagetheGeneralDiplomaandbelow,and“Target:”tomanagetheDiplomaandtheDegreeholders.HESheikhAbdullahbinNasserbinAbdullahalBakri,MinisterofManpower,saidthatthe government felt the timewas right to initiate labour reforms by introducing the‘hire-and-fire’policy(MuscatDailyDec13th2017)TheMinistryofManpowersuspends87professionsfor6months(January2018)TheMinistryofManpowersuspends199FirmsforNotHiringOmanis(February2018)TheMinistryofOilandGasannouncespre-approvalisamustforoilfieldlaborpermits(March2018)TheCapitalMarketAuthority(CMA),jointlyhasagreedwiththeMinistryofManpowernewOmanisationPercentagesforinsurancesector(April2018)On 9th April theMinistry of Manpower issued latest statistics on job seekers 22,872Omaniswereemployedbytheprivatesectorbetween3rdDec2017to9thApril2018,anaverageof5700jobspermonth.


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Conclusion&RecommendationsSignificant changes took place during and post the “Arab Spring”, such amendmentswere made to align the private sector to the government sector benefits includingimprovementsinthepensionfundandultimatelyattractOmanistoworkintheprivatesector.Thechangestookplacetosubsidethefrustrationsandthehighunemploymentfiguresandothercompoundingissuesthatwerenotaddressedforlongtime.Most changes were issued after the private sector has closed their financial yearlybudgets, these budgets are usually approved in Q4 of the year before their board ofdirectors to enable the organizations to run their business effectively and efficiently,issuing sudden new regulations in the beginning or middle of the fiscal year createsinstabilityinthebusinessandfrustratestheprivatesector,thisshouldbeavoidedatallcost.Alltheabove,placedanimmensepressureontheprivatesectorespeciallyforstart-ups,new businesses & SME’s. The government wanted the private sector to be a truepartner in the development journey of Oman and contribute in recruiting locals, andabsorbingthehighestnumberofjobseekers(unemployedyouth),Howeverthiscameata significant price, the private sector should be commended in working along theGovernment authorities in conforming to these changes, one area that has not beenaddressedproperly,despiteallthesignificant improvements isthatthejobseekersarestillreluctanttotakejobsintheprivatesector,thenegativityofworkingintheprivatesectorhasnotbeentackledoraddressedneitherbythepublicsectornorbytheprivatesectoritself,eventhemediahasnotplayedapositiveroleinthisarea!.Mostreportsandsurveysindicatedtodatethe1stchoiceofemployerforOmanisisthepublicsector(CivilService,RoyalSultanForcesandRoyalOmanPolice).It is yet to see long term solutions, most were ad-hoc, to subside the issues and thedemands&frustrationsoftheyouthandnotaddressingthereal issuesandcreatingabalancebetween the real needsof themarketand currentand future the job seekersneeds.With the support of The National Program for Enhancing Economic Diversification(TANFEEDH)toaddressandworktowardschangingtheprivatesectorimageandensurethatby2020the1stchoiceofemployerforOmanisisthePrivatesector.

NewandrevisedlegislationsandMinisterialDecisionscameintoeffecttomaketheprivatesectorattractiveforOmanis.Howeverlittleeffortshastakenplaceinto

re-brandingtheprivatesectorandmakingitattractive


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5.GovernmentSector(CivilService)GovernmentEmployees(Omanis&Expatriates)–2011to2016

Highlights&Summary• 55481newOmanirecruitsfrom2011to2016(average9kperyear)• 18282newExpatsrecruitsfrom2011to2016(average3kperyear)• During2014&2016ahugereductionofnewheadcountstookplaceonbothOmanis

andexpats• 37kOmanisnetIncreaserepresenting(23%)overallincreaseofOmanisinthelast6

years• 12KExpatsnetincreaserepresenting(49%)overallincreaseofExpatsoverthelast6

years• Significanteffortstomaintain(40%femalevs.60%male)• Netdecreaseof (982)Omanisbetween2014to2016comparedtonet increaseof

(21,479) between 2011 to 2013, this clearly indicates that the government sectordisciplined itself and controlled the new intake of headcounts due to economicdownturnandlowoilprices

• (9247)AveragenewOmani recruitsperyearvs. (2434)averageOmani leaversperyear

Note:RoyalOmanPolice,RoyalSultanForces,andRoyalGuard,experiencedveryhighnumberofintakesandabsorbedahighernumberofOmanisthroughmajorrecruitmentcampaignsandtodateareactivelyrecruiting.

Overthelast6yearsanaverageofonly9000OmaniswererecruitedintheCivilServicesectorperyear,representing23%oftheexpectedmarketjobseekers


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NewGovernmentSalaryStructure(Alignedforallgovernmententities)His Majesty Sultan Qaboos issued a Royal Decree No 78/2013 on the issuance ofstandardizedgradesandsalariesscheduleforOmanicivilserviceemployeeseffective1stJan2014. The costof the standardizationamounted toOMR830million, effective1stJanuary 2014, and due to budget constrains and low oil prices the government hasfrozenpromotionstillfurthernotice.

TheInternationalMonitoryFund(IMF)TheIMFhasreviewedthegovernmentplansandstatedtheirviews;The Article IV Consultation Concluding Statement of the IMF Mission Dec 19, 2011Highlighted;“AddressingtheCausesofHighUnemployment:• Creating employment for the growing population is a pressing challenge. While

overall job growth has been strong,most new jobs have gone to foreignworkers.Strikingly,therecentcensusindicatesthattheunemploymentrateamongnationalsreached24.4percentin2010,althoughthehighnumbermayincludemanythatarenot truly looking for work. Toabsorb new labor force entrants and significantlyreduce unemployment, some 45,000new positions for Omanis each year will beneeded, twice the number achieved in thefive years to2010. To be sustainable,thesenewjobswillhavetobeintheprivatesector.

Despitethechallengesinthepublicsector,withpromotionson-hold,anmanybenefitsbeenstreamlined,Omanisstillprefertojointhepublicsectorforjob

securityandretirementbenefits


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• Recentpolicyactionshaveledtolargeincreaseinpublicsectoremployment.Fromabase of 164,000 public sector jobs in2010 (excluding security and defensepersonnel), 44,000 new government positions were created in2011 and the draftbudgetfor2012includesanother36,000.Thesemeasureshavealleviatedshorttermpressures stemming from high unemployment but do not address the underlyingproblems.

• Addressing the root causes of joblessness calls for a multipronged approach.Removing labor market distortions underpinning high unemployment will requireresolvingthewageandbenefitsdifferentialsbetweenthepublicandprivatesectorsand between Omanis and expatriates. Large-scale job creation will also requirestrongeconomicgrowthaswellastransitioningfromenergy-relatedindustries intoareaswithgreateremploymentpotential.Simultaneously,thereisaneedtoenhanceeducation and training to ensure that new graduates and job seekers have theneededskills.Raisingfeesforworkvisasorinstitutingtemporarysubsidiesforhiringandtrainingshouldbeconsideredaswaysofmakingemploymentofnationalsmoreattractive”.

In a later Article IV Consultation Concluding Statement of the IMF Mission-May 14,2013,highlighted“FosteringthePrivateSectorandaProductiveOmaniWorkforce,by;• Creating job opportunities for the Omani workforce is a top priority for the

government.Thegovernmentcreated100,000newjobsincivilanddefensesectorsin2011–13.Theauthoritiesalso increasedminimumwages forOmaninationals intheprivatesectorintwostagesfromRO140($368)toRO325($855)amonth,andannounced a restriction on the number of expatriates in the total population at33percent,withoutindicatinganytimelineforitsimplementation.

• Whiletheabovemeasureshavebeensuccessfulinstabilizingpublicexpectations,thelasting benefits of the employmentmeasures are not clear. These initiatives haveimposed strains on the cost structureof the economy, on thegovernmentbudget,andonpublicpensionfunds,addingtofiscalsustainabilityconcerns.Thewageandbenefits differential between the public and private sectors will need to becompressed by gradually curtailing high public-sector wages, reducing public jobcreationandtrainingthenationallaborforce,includingbyprovidingincentivessuchastemporarymonetarysupport.TheimplementationofthesemeasuresshouldhelpaltertherelativejobpreferencesofOmanisandcreateavibrantanddynamicprivatesectorwithjobsthatareattractivetonationals.

• Generating needed jobs and reducing oil dependence require a dynamic privatesector with an actively engaged Omani workforce. With public spending drivengrowth,thechallengeistochannelpublicspendingintothedevelopmentoftheself-sustainingprivatesector.Improvingproductivityanddevelopingandinvestinginthetradablesector,includingservices,logistics,tourismandmanufacturing,topromotenon-oilexportsandcreatehigh-valuedandsustainableemploymentareparamount.Thiscallsfor:(i)improvingthebusinessenvironment;(ii)promotingagreaterroleforSMEs inselectedstrategicareas; (iii)coordinatingwiththeprivatesector insettingup skill improvement programs; (iv)enhancing the educational quality, vocationaltraining, and education, particularly in rural areas in the near term; and


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(v)promoting female labor force training and participation by improvingwomen'saccesstomanagerial,technical,andvocationaldisciplines”.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Stéphane Roudet visited MuscatApril 3-16 held the 2018Article IV consultation discussionswithOman, the followingwasthepreliminaryfindings;• Oman is responding to lower oil prices by bolstering its fiscal position, boosting

privatesector-ledgrowthandjobcreation,andfosteringeconomicdiversification.• TimelyimplementationofVATandexcisesandmeasurestocurtailspendingisofthe

essence; additional fiscal adjustment is needed to strengthen fiscal and externalsustainability.

• Maintainingrobustbankingsectorregulationandsupervisionisimportanttobolsterfinancialsectorresilienceinsupportofsustainedeconomicgrowth.

“Structural reforms that promote private sector development, productivity andcompetitiveness gains, diversification, and job creation for nationals are paramount.Tacklinglabormarketinefficiencies—forexamplebybetteraligningpublicsectorwagesand benefits with the private sector, encouraging more labor market flexibility fornationals, and sustaining efforts to improve education and training—is key in thisrespect. Further improving the business climate, including by reducing excessiveregulationsandfosteringcompetition,andacceleratingTanfeedhimplementationisalsoimportant”.(Source-www.imf.org)Increasedbymorethan100%,aFinanceOfficialClarifiestheCausesofSalaries'highCosts(Source-AlMukhtarAlHinai-Atheer-14thApril2018)“Duringthelasteightyears,thecostsofsalariesandwageshaveincreasedby135%intheSultanate,jumpingfromRO2.6billionin2010toRO6.1billioninthecurrentyear.Apresentationon"TheState'sFinancialStatusandtheRisksofFinancialSustainability",presentedbyHEMohamedJawad,AdvisorattheMinistryofFinanceduring"challengesofOman'seconomy"session,whichwasheld intheShuraCouncil,hasshownthattheincrease in salaries is one of the biggest reasons to the rise of the State's PublicExpenditurefrom2010uptothecurrentyear.Thepresentedfigureshaveshownthatoneofthereasonsfortheincreaseinexpenditureonsalariesistheemploymentof134,000jobseekersduringtheperiodfrom2010uptothisyear,atacostofRO1.2billionannually.The figures indicated that the introduction of cost-of-living allowance costs RO 335million in 2011, which was set to support the allocation of all military and securityservices and all government units, including those which are not subject to the civilservicesystem,startingfromApril,2011.Furthermore,thestandardizationofthescaleof grades and salaries of the civil service units costs RO830millionannually, startingfrom1stofJanuary2014.


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ThefigureshavealsoindicatedthatthecostofpensionunificationforthesecurityandmilitaryservicesamountedtoaboutRO140millionannually,andtheenhancementofthe pensioners' salaries and social securitywere estimated to be about RO 80millionannually. In addition, the job seekers' grant costs about OR 188 million, and theimplementationofthemedicalandparamedicalandnursingjobsregulationcostsaboutRO105millionannually;Whereas the coverageof Civil servants' promotions for 2007and2008hasamountedtoapproximatelyRO81million.They have also suggested that the annual expenditure on goods and services, in thebudgets of government units has increased from RO 538 million in 2010 to RO 903millionin2014,andasaresultofthemeasurestakentorationalizetheexpenditure,theannualexpenseshavedecreasedtoRO709millioninthecurrentyear.Furthermore,thegovernmentcontributioninthepensions'salarieshasamountedtoRO200millionsince2010.”Conclusion&Recommendations• The Civil Service continued to recruit on average 23% of Omani job seekers every

year,overallexpatriatesaveragenewjoinersis3047andexpatriatesaverageleaversis2434,thisindicatesthatthenetincreaseisaround600expatriatesperyear,thisisinsignificantnumber.

• TheRoyalOmanPolice,Royal SultanForces,andRoyalGuard,playeda significantrole in providing employment opportunities since 2011 as they have absorbedmajority of Omani job seekers. However this might have worked well in the pastabsorbingahighnumberofSecondaryDiplomaandbelow,theequationhasturnedaround in 2017, where almost 60% of job seekers are Diploma and Degreegraduates.Do thesesectorshaveenough jobopportunities forDegreeholdersandaretheycapableofabsorbingsuchlargenumbersornot?

• TointroducecleartasksandtargetsandKeyperformanceindicators(KPI’s)foreachemployee

• Toestablishasolid“PerformanceManagementScheme”• The salary increments and promotions must be based on a solid performance

managementscheme,incrementsandpromotionsshouldonlybeforoutstanding&exceeding performers (population of top 30% of employees). This will encouragecompetitioninthesectorandimproveproductivityandwillbeabletomanageandcontrolitsyearlybudgetincrease.

• Tointroducestrictmeasuresonhowtomanagelowandnon-performersandaclearpathforexitingjobsiftheemployeeisnotperforming.


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6.ThePrivateSectorOverviewofPrivateSectorSalariesforOmanis2016vs.2011

Highlights&AnalysisThetableabovedemonstratesthesalaryincreasesatdifferentlevelsin6years:

• 130,000 (75%ofOmanis)movedaway from the salarybandof less thanOMR300towardsthebands325and400to500

• 59428(34%)growthofOmanisinprivatesectorsince(2011)• Privatesectorsalarieshaverisenacrossalllevels• 75%ofOmanistheirsalarywasbelowOMR300in(2011),comparedtononein

(2016)• Only 14.8% of Omanis salaries was between OMR 325 and 500 in (2011),

comparedto55%ofemployeesin(2016)• Only 7.3% of Omanis salaries was between OMR 500 to 1000 in (2011),

comparedto29%ofOmanisin(2016)• HighestincreaseinsalarybandaboveOMR2000-630%by(2016)ascompared

to (2011), demonstrates private sectorwillingness to paymore for higher jobsandsimilarlyinthesalarybandofOMR1000to2000anincreaseof577%since(2011)

• Largestdecrease insalarybandofOMR325 to400by2016 this indicates thatthe private sector is paying and offering Omanis in higher salary bands ascomparedto(2011)

Salary(Range) Employees (%) Employees (%) Employees Percentagefrom180to200 84576 48.5% 0 NA NA NAfrom200to300 46160 26.5% 0 NA NA NAfrom325to400 17840 10.2% 74924 32.0% 57084 320%from400to500 7947 4.6% 53886 23.0% 45939 578%from500to600 4802 2.8% 23902 10.2% 19100 398%from600to700 3247 1.9% 18626 8.0% 15379 474%from700to800 1899 1.1% 11331 4.8% 9432 497%from800to900 1517 0.9% 8809 3.8% 7292 481%from900to1000 1311 0.8% 6842 2.9% 5531 422%from1000to2000 3744 2.1% 25340 10.8% 21596 577%

2000+ 1398 0.8% 10209 4.4% 8811 630%Total 174441 100٪ 233869 100٪ 59428 34%

2011 2016 Variance(2016vs.2011)

DespitetheMinisterialDecisionstipulatingOMR225asminimumbasicsalary,thestatisticsshowsnoonereceiveslessthanOMR300asminimumbasic!


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OverallOmanSalaryIncrease2013to2018

In2011Omanaveragesalary increasewas6.2%and in2012 it fell to3.9%. In2015&2016 despite the oil crisis Oman enjoyed an average 4.4% and 3.5% respectivelyincrease insalaries,whilstUAEwasonlyat2.8%&0.9%respectively.All reports fromMercer,AoNHewitt,Towers&Watson, showgood increases in salaries inGCCand inOmanOverallImpactinOmanonActualPayMovements“ActualPay”(2013-2018)

The graph above demonstrates percentage of salary increase forecast versus thepercentageofrealsalaryincrease,whichtakesinflationdataintoaccount.(Source:KornFerry–HayGroup–OmanClientForumSept2017).Note - The expected actual in 2017 and 2018 will not be less than 3% due to private sectorconformingtotheMinisterialDecisionNo.32/2012

• MinisterialDecisiononminimumwageincreasehadasignificantimpactontheOmaniworkforce,nottobeunderestimated,ithaspushedthesalarybarhigher

foralllevels• TheprivatesectoriswillingtopayhighersalariestohireandpromoteOmanisas

demonstratedbyhigherincreasesofnumberofemployeespaidinthebandsOMR1000+andOMR2000+


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PrivateSector–EmployeesBenefitsThetrendintheprivatesectorwithregardsto“EmployeesBenefits”andthepercentageof organizations that provides these benefits is slowly improving. It is true thatcompaniesdonotprovidemanyofthebenefitsbutprovidesomebasicbenefits,allotofthese benefits form part and parcel of the labour law requirements for example,healthcare, holidays, retirement contribution, and disability benefits as part of PASIcontribution.Otherbenefitsareprovidedbyvariousorganizationsbasedontheemployee’sgradeorpositionintheCompanyi.e.dependentseducationassistance,healthclubmembership,loans,employeeeducationassistance,andcarbenefits.

Conclusion&Recommendations• Ministerial Decision on minimum wage increase had a significant impact on the

Omaniworkforce,nottobeunderestimated,ithaspushedthesalarybarhigherforalllevels

• Oman enjoyed the highest pay increase over the last 5 years amongst its GCCneighbors. TheMinisterialDecision (No. 32/2012) of the 3%annual increment hasreflected positively into theworkforce and impacted the private sector during thelowoilpricesandeconomicdownturn

• The private sector is willing to pay higher salaries to hire and promote Omanisdemonstratedbyhigher increasesofworkforcepaid in thebandsOMR1000+andOMR2000+

• HighestincreasesinsalarybandsOMR1000to2000andOMR2000+since2011• Conforming to just the minimum Labour law requirements is no longer available

option for the private sector, otherwise their business will continue to suffer andattritionwillbemuchhigher.

• ThegovernmenthasdirectedallotofitsfocusinthepastontheSalaries,InHumanResources function salaries is only one component of employees “TotalRemuneration”HR trendsall over theworld ismoving towards creatingabalancebetweenSalariesandbenefits.

• The next phase for the private sector is to start to focus on improving andintroducing attractive employees benefits, introduce attractive bonuses andincentives,attractiveworkenvironmentandworkintelligentlytoattractOmanisintotheprivatesector.Asimpleexamplewiththe increaseof fuelprices, itwillbeveryattractiveforOmanistoreceiveaspartoftheirperksCompanyvehiclesthatcoversfuel.

Omanenjoyedthehighestpayincreaseoverthelast5yearsamongstitsGCCneighbors.TheMinisterialDecision(No32/2012)ofthe3%annualincrementhasreflectedpositivelyintotheworkforceandimpactedthe

privatesectorduringthelowoilpricesandeconomicdownturn


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7.SultanateofOmanUnprecedented protests erupted inOman in February 2011,when thousands took tothestreetstodemandjobsandanendtocorruption.ViolentdemonstrationseruptedintownofSoharandinMay2011,itspreadtothecapitalMuscat,SurandSalalah.His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said has responded to such unprecedenteddemonstrationsinOmanbyconductingaradicalcabinetreshuffleandreplacement,andpromised 50,000 jobs in public and private sector combined and to raisedminimumwages in the private sector including review and improvement in labour law. (Source:FinancialTimes)Accordingtotheplan,56,000jobswillbeprovidedwithjobs,ofwhich36,000willbeintheCivilServiceandRoyalSultanForcesapparatusesand20,000intheprivatesector.Prioritywillbegiventojobseekerswithskillsandeducationalqualificationsinlinewiththerequirementsofdifferentsectors,afurtherdirectivefromHMtheSultantoabsorb20,000 Omanis in the following sectors, Royal Sultan Forces, Royal Oman Police andRoyalGuardbyendof2013.InOctober2017,theCouncilofMinistersannouncedthatatotalof25,000jobswillbecreatedforOmanisinthestate’spublicandprivatesectorsbeginningDecember2017Oman’sPopulationOman'spopulationhasalmostdoubledoverthepastdecadeandhasnowfinallypassedthe four million mark, official statistics show, and confirms Oman's rapid growth,consideringbackin1970ithadonly654,000inhabitants,that'smorethana500%rise.As of 2nd April 2014, the total population of Oman had reached 4,000,345. Citizensconstitute 55.8 per cent of the population with 2,232,949 citizens recorded, whileexpatriatesmakeuptheother44.2percentwith1,767,396.


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As of 07 October 2017 the total population of Oman reached 4,635,199. Citizensconstitute54.5%ofthepopulationwith2,527580(14%increaseoverthe last3years)whilstexpatriatesmaketheother45.5%with2,107,619(despitethedeclineofoilpricesand slow down of the economy, still there was a growth of 18% in expatriatespopulationoverthelast3years).OverviewofOmanFertilityRateandUrbanizationUrbanization in 1960; only 16% of the population was living in the urban areas incontrastto75%by2020,thisofcoursehasreflectedinthedrasticdropoffertilityratefrom7.2in1960to2.5by2020,thegrowthoverthelast5decadeshadahugeimpacton the infrastructure and the development projects like schools, colleges, hospitals,clinics,mosquesetc.Thereisaneedtoactnowandreviewtheirfutureinfrastructuredevelopmentprojects,duetodeclineof localpopulationandriseofaverageagefrom29yearsoldin2017to37yearsoldby2040

Fer$lityRate/Urbaniza$onFACTS

WiththedeclineofOmanipopulation,andtheconcentrationmovesfromruraltourbanareas.Thereisaneedtoreviewit’sInfrastructureprojectslikeschools,colleges,clinics,hospitals,mosquesandothers.Thefocusofprojectsshouldbedirectedtowardsthepopulatedcitiesandtownsandfocusonbetter

qualityandimprovementofexistinginfrastructureincludingfacilitiesforseniorcitizensandpeoplewithspecialneeds


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OverviewofOmanCrudeProductionOmanhassteadilyincreaseditscrudeproduction,andhasmanagedtoovercomethemarketpricefluctuations&challengesovertheyears,especiallyduringthelast2marketcrashesin1987and2008andrecentlowoilprices

PrivateSectorGrowthinOmanTheConstructionsectorTherearenumerousactiveconstructionprojectsinOmanandthetotalestimatedvalueoftheseconstructionprojectsisUSD194.7billion.Omanconstitutes10%ofthenumberofactiveprojectsintheGCC.Indollarterms,theseconstructionprojectsaccountfor9%ofthetotalestimatedvalueofallactiveprojectsintheGCC.(Source-https://www.bncnetwork.net)TheOmanprojectmarketisasstrongasevent.TheSultanate'sfive-yearplanhasembarkedanannualallocationof$6.5billionfortheconstructionsector,ofwhichhalfofitisforinfrastructuredevelopment.MEEDProjectsdataillustratesthereisanincreaseinactivitiesintourism,infrastructureandcommercialbuilding.Oman'stourismhasincreasedby23%inthepast5yearsandthegovernmentintendstoinvestinprojectsthatwillhelpindiversifyingtheeconomyfromoilandgas.ThepowerandwatermarketinOmanalsohasmanycriticalprojectscomingup,forexample,thesecondphaseofSalalahIndependentPowerPlantandseveralwaterdesalination

OmanOilProduc.on

2008MarketCrashes 1987


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plants.CurrentlyMEEDProjectsistrackingmorethan800Omaniactiveprojectsworthalmost$190billionintheconstruction,power,water,oil&gas.(Source-http://www.meedprojects.com)TheOil&GassectorOccidentalIn2013,theaveragegrossdailyoilproductionattheMukhaiznaFieldwas123,000barrelsofoilequivalentperday—over15timeshigherthantheproductionrateinSeptember2005,whenOccidentalassumedoperationofthefield.BritishPetroleumwasawardedbythegovernmentofOmanaconcessiontodeveloptheKhazzangasfield,itisestimatedthecostofdevelopmentisabout$16billionover15years,whichwillstartandbeabletoproduceupto1billioncubicfeetperdayafteritcomesonlinein2018.PetroleumDevelopmentOman(PDO)planstoinvestmorethan$20billionoverafive-yearperiodtosustainitslong-termhydrocarbonoutput(Sources–MuscatDaily,TheNewYorkTimesandTimesofOman)TheTourismSectorTheNationalTourismStrategy(NTS)implementationisdividedintothreedistinctphases.Thefirstphase(2016to2020)willadd5620newhotelroomsandgenerate76,384directjobs.Thesecondphase(2021and2030),willbringthetotalnumberofhotelroomsto15,419andcreate126,900moredirectjobsandthethirdphase(2031to2040)willbringthetotalnumberofhotelroomsto29,596anddirectemploymentforanother242,900people.ItisestimatedthattheNTSplanwillcostaround$35bn,withthegovernmentaimingtoattract88%ofthisinvestmentfromtheprivatesector.(H.EMaithaAlMahrouqi–UnderSecretaryoftheMinistryofTourismSpeakingataneventorganizedbytheOmanChamberofCommerceandIndustryinJuly2016)TheWorldTravel&TourismCouncilprojectsthatby2026thetourismsectorwillaccountforapproximately81,000directjobsand164,000indirectjobs(53,000jobssupportedbythesectorin2015).(Source–OmanTheReportbyOxfordBusinessGroup2017)TheLogisticSectorAsyad,isanumbrellaorganizationthatwilloverseetheSultanate’stransformationintooneoftheworld’sleadinglogisticalhubsby2040.TheOmanGlobalLogistics(OGL)Group,Asyadisapartnershipbetweenahostofcompaniesinthenation,includingOmanPost,Mwasalat,PortofDuqm,PortofSalalah,OmanDrydockandSoharFreeZoneTheNationalLogisticStrategy2040alsoaimsatincreasingthecontributionoflogisticsservicestothenation’sgrossdomesticproduct,whichisexpectedtoreachOMR14billionin2040,inadditiontocreating300,000jobsinthesectorstatedbytheOmanGlobalLogisticsGroup(OGL)officialsJohnLesniewskiandNabilAlBimaniatthepressconferenceon24thAugust2016.(Source–MuscatDaily)


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Finally,belowisanoverviewofthegovernmentcurrentresponsibilitiesforOmaniNationals;• FreeHealth&MedicalServices• SubsidizedOilprices,Gas,ElectricityandWaterservices• FreeLandforeveryOmaniabove23yearsofage• Providing“GeneralEducation”opportunitiesgrades1to12• Providing“HigherStudies”opportunitiesforthosewhocompletedSecondary

Diploma• Providing“VocationalTraining”opportunitiesforthosewhodidnotcomplete

SecondaryDiplomaorotherbasiceducationlevels• Providing“JobOpportunities”forthosewhodidnotcompleteSecondaryDiplomaor

otherbasiceducationlevels• Providing“JobOpportunities”forallgraduates• Providing“JobOpportunities”forthosewhoresignedorbeenterminated

TheNationalTourismStrategyhighlightedtheprovisionof242,900jobsby2040(currently53,000workinthissector),andtheNationalLogistics

Strategyhighlightedthecreationof300,000jobsby2040TheTourismandtheLogisticsectorstrategiesifimplementedsuccessfully

willcreatehalfofOmanneedsinjobsandsolvetheunemployment(average21,000jobsonyearlybasisuntil2040)

Governmentsubsidiesandprovisionoffreeservicescreatesahugefinancialburden.Citizensneedtobeinductedandbeawareofhowmuchthegovernment

spendsonthesubsidiesandthefreeservices


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Conclusion&RecommendationsTosumuptheabove,$190billionworthofprojectsthathavecommencedfewyearsearlierandwillcontinueintothenext5years,mostofthemaregovernmentdrivenprojectsandrequireexpertise&labortoexecuteanddeliver,andtheprivatesectorwillactswiftlyinsourcingtalentwithinOman,otherwisewillsourceinternationally,majorityoftheincreasehasbeeninthecategoryofprincipal&auxiliaryengineeringfrom461,000in2009to854,000in2015andinthecategoryofIndustrial,chemicalandfoodindustry”from61,000in2009to119,000in2015,anotherareasfluctuatedbetweentheseyears,theincreaseagaininthecategoryofAgriculture,Stockbreeding,&Huntingfrom8600in2011to106,000in2015.Thisalsoexplainsthehugeincreaseofexpatriate’spopulationbetween2011and2016anincreaseof673,000(60%increaseofexpatriatesworkforceinjust6years).Oil&GassectorisveryreputablesectorthathasgonethroughmanyyearsofchangesinattractingOmanis,local,internationalcontractorsandsubcontractors,byimprovingtheHealth&SafetyStandards,theliving&amenitiesstandardsandwiththeestablishmentofOmanPetroleumSociety(OPAL)tosupportthesectorandbettercollaborationwithallOil&Gasrelatedcompanies.FurthertotheaboveinFebruary2017OmanSocietyofPetroleumServices(OPAL)hasagreedtopartnerwithINSEAD,theworld’sleadinggraduatebusinessschool,todevelopandsupporttheleadershipprogrammeofmid&senior-managementOmanioilandgasexecutives.(Source-www.opaloman.org)SimilarlyOmanSocietyofContractors(OSC),hasitsroleintheconstructionindustry,howeverthisisacomplexsectorandrequiresmorework,standardizationandmakingthesectorlookprofessionalandattractiveforOmanis,forexamplehavingmajorCompanieslocatedinGhalaindustrialareawheretheinfrastructurewasnotwelldeveloped,didnotactfavorablytotheiradvantageandimage.AllsectorsneedtoreviewtheirimagetothegeneralpublicandespeciallytotheyoungOmani workforce. Everyone would like to work in a well-established reputedorganization,goodworkingenvironmentthatcaresforitsemployeesandthesociety

Investmentof$190billiondirectlyreflectedonthehighdemandofmoreworkforce(OmanisandExpatriates)toexecutemajorprojects

Therewasanincreaseof673,000Expatriatesrepresenting60%increaseof

Expatriatesworkforce


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8.TheUnemployment&OmanisationUnemploymentinOmanandtheGCCOman unemployment rate; The World Bank provides data for Oman unemploymentrate from1991. Theunemployment ratesvaryand inconsistent fromvarious sourcesandwill depend if the ratewas based on total workforce or on active population oryouthunemployment.

Note:Unemploymentin%ofactivepopulation(Source–WorldBank)ThecountriesoftheGCCareatvaryingstagesoftheirdemographictransitionsandareexperiencing diverging fertility and population growth rates. The youth bulge – thepercentageofthepopulationundertheageof25–rangesfrom25%inQatarto50%inOman.IntheUAEitstandsat34%,whileitis35%inBahrain,40%inKuwaitand46%inSaudiArabia.GCCgovernmentshavehaddifficultiesturningthispotentialintoanactualdividend.Inthe last fewyears,youthunemployment rateshavebeenasignificant issue.Althoughthe region has experienced strong economic growth and job creation, youthunemploymentratesweremorethandoublethatoftheoverallunemploymentratein2013,accordingtothemostrecentfiguresavailablefromtheWorldBank.Forexample,in Saudi Arabia, the overall unemployment rate was 5.7%, while the youthunemployment rate was 28.7%. In the UAE, the figures were 3.8% and 9.9%,respectively.BahrainandOmanbothhadyouthunemploymentratesover20%,whileinKuwaititwas19.6%.Qatarwastheonlycountryintheregionthathadtheemploymentsituation under control, with an overall unemployment rate of 0.5% and a youthunemployment rate of 1.5%,which is far lower than its neighboring countries in theGulf.(Source–Oman2016TheReport,OxfordBusinessGroup)


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2017JobSeekersinOmanDistributionofJobSeekersbyworkstatus(asof31/07/2017)

Highlights&Summary62%ofjobseekersarefemale&80%ofjobseekersareseekingemploymentforthefirsttime,eitherfreshfromcollegesorschools,thereforehaving40,000newjobseekersinthesystemshouldberegardedasthenewnorminOmanandthisdoesnotindicateaproblembutitisthemarketrealityofjobseekers,thisisnotuniqueforOmanbutaworldwidephenomena,insomecountriestheyknowtheaveragetimetoseekemploymentandmakethatasanormDistributionofJobSeekersbyeducationstatus(asof31/07/2017)

Highlights&Summary13%ofjobSeekersarewithlessthanGeneralDiploma(6,463)30%ofjobSeekersarewithGeneralDiploma(15,133)57%ofjobSeekersarewithCollegeDiplomaandabove(28,792)


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PrivateSectorOmanis&Expatriates(2011to2016)

Highlights&Summary• 733Ktotalnewintakesoverthelast6years,average(122k)peryear• 59KnewOmanisrepresenting34%increaseoverthelast6years• 673Knewexpatsrepresenting60%increaseoverthelast6years• TheintakeofOmanifemalevs.maleoverthelast6yearscomesto(40%femalevs.

60%male)• 2014to2016Expatsintakeof(176,190)comparedtointakesof(356,546)from2011

to2013!.OmansawahigherinfluxofexpatriatesduringtheArabspringincomparisontotherecentEconomicdownturn.

• 2014to2016Omaniintakesof(24,249)comparedtoOmaniintakeofonly(9,794)from2011to2013,despitemassivegovernmentdirectives&privatesectorrecruitmentfollowingthe“ArabSpring”,onecontributingfactorthemassiveresignationsin2012&2103intheprivatesectorfollowingthejobsannouncementsopportunitiesinCivilService,ROPandRSF.Finallytheprivatesectorhasdoneextremelywellinsupportingthecountrytorecruitlocalsduring2014to2016duringtheoilcrisisandmarketdownturn(verycommendable)

Approximately40,000Omanisseekingjobsforthefirsttimeandtheexpectedyearlyinfluxintothejobmarketis40,000.

InconclusionOmanshouldnothaveanissueofunemploymentaslongasmajorityof40,000jobseekerscanbeemployedwithin6to12months

• Therewere(176,190)Expatriatesintakefrom2014to2016comparedtointakesof(356,546)from2011to2013(Omanhadhigherinfluxof

expatriatesduringtheArabspring!)• Overthelast6yearsaverage10,000Omaniswererecruitedintheprivate

sectorperyear,representing25%oftheexpectedjobseekers


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Re-IntroducingtheUnemploymentConceptTheword“JobSeeker”wascommonlyusedinOmancomparingtotheword“Unemployment”,internationalmediaandreportsrefertounemploymentandunemploymentratesratherthanthenumberofjobseekersorthepercentageofjobseekers.Theterminologywasnotwelldefined,andthisreportshallre-definetheseterminologiesandpaveaclearfuturepath.“TheJobSeeker“thejobseekerisdefinedasthepersonwhooptsoutofschoolorcompletedschoolandcollegeeducationandactivelyseeksemploymentopportunities“TheUnemployed”theunemployedisdefinedasthepersonwhodonothaveajob,haveactivelylookedforworkinthepastfourweeks,andcurrentlyavailableforworkPeoplecanbeunemployedformanyreasons;• Theyquittheirpositionandarelookingforanewone.• Theywerelaidoffduetolackofworkandhaven'tyetbeenrehired.• Theircompanyreducedtheworkforce,andtheyareseekinganewposition.This

canbeduetoalocalcondition,whenthecompanyclosesaplantordivision,oranationalcondition,whentheeconomyslowsandmanycompaniesreducetheirworkforce.

• Theyhaverecentlyreturnedtotheworkforce-perhapsfrompregnancyorattendingschool-andhaven'tyetlocatedaposition.

• Theneedfortheirskillsethasgonedown,andtherearelimitedpositionsavailable,whichmayleadtounemploymentuntiltheytrainforanewposition.

• Technologyhasreducedtheneedfortheirtypeofposition.

Itisproposedthat(PAMR)revisetheirdatabasebasedontheaboveconceptthiswillmovethecountrytoanewconceptofunemployment,meaninganyonenotemployedupto6monthsisnotregardedasunemployedbut“JobSeeker”andinthePublicAuthorityforManpowerRegistry(PAMR)willrecord2categoriesofjobseeker“upto6months“and“Post6months”SimilarlyinSingaporetheyhaveseasonalandnon-seasonalunemploymentrates,whereinJuneitincreasesduetoinfluxofgraduatesintothejobmarketandinothermonthsisstablewherethereisnograduatesinflux,howeverseparatingthedataintojobseekersandunemployedgivesaclearerindicators.Nowbyintroducingthisconcept,we

Resigned&TerminatedOmanis(2009to2015)

Thenumberofresignations&terminationsisontherise(highestisinMuscatregion30%average,followedbyAlBatinaregionatanaverageof20%)

Resigned&TerminatedOmanis 2009Total 24580

201153093

201343921

201558993


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areinstillinganew“Norm”,itisnormaltobewithoutajobbetween0to6monthsorlongerdependsoneconomicalsituationinthecountry.TheMinistryofManpowerrolefocuswillberedefinedovernight,itwillworkmorestrategicallyonlongtermstrategyandplans,workonproducingbetterworkforcelegislationsandregulations.Omanwillstillhavearound1.8millionexpatriatesworkinginOmanwithunemploymentgoingdown,theconceptofOmanisationwillalsoberedefinedandanewconceptwillemerge,thefocuswillbeonsuccession,everyemployedOmaniwillwanttosucceedanexpatriateworkingathigherlevel,andCompetencymodelwillemerge,ifyouarecompetenttoperformahigherjobandhavetherightyearsofexperiencetheOmanicansucceedtheexpatriate,orsucceedanotherOmani.Omanismainaimwouldbetolearn,andgainknowledgeandtheconceptofprofessionalismandcompetitionwillemerge,everyOmaniwillwanttobecomeaprofessional.9.TheFutureofOmanisationintheprivateSectorOverviewofSkillsLevels(Omanis&Expatriates)inthePrivateSector(2016)

OverviewofWorkforceEducationLevelinthePrivateSector(2016)

OmanisationSkillsLevels 2016 % 2016 % %Specialists 31828 14% 117805 7% 27.0%Technical 18255 8% 59648 3% 30.6%OccupationalLabourers 70237 31% 417625 23% 16.8%SkilledLaboures 42133 19% 408352 23% 10.3%LimitedSkilledLabourers 60630 27% 784550 44% 7.7%Total 223083 1787980 12.5%

ExpartiatesOmanis

EducationLevel Omanis % Expatriates %Degree&Above 24290 10.4% 102868 5.8%CollegeDiploma 19449 8.3% 50566 2.8%SecondaryDiploma 82144 35.1% 260034 14.5%Preparatory&Below 107986 46.2% 1350889 75.6%NotStated 23622 1.3%Total 233869 100.0% 1787979 100.0%


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Highlights&Summary27%Omanisationatspecialistslevels(thislevelisoccupiedbyexperiencedOmaniswithdegrees),thistabledemonstratesahealthypictureonOmanisationperlevel,despitethenotionthatOmanisarenottakinguphigherrolesandkindofoppressedinthemarketandtheprivatesectordoesnotgiveOmanisafairchances(thespecialistslevelisoccupiedbyexperiencededucatedworkforceincludesmanagementroles)30%OmanisationatTechnicallevel(thislevelisoccupiedbyexperiencededucatedandprofessionalOmanisbeitinbusiness(withminDiploma)orEngineering(withminDegree).16.8%OmanisationatOccupationallevel(thislevelisoccupiedbyCollegeDiploma)10%OmanisationatSkilledlabour(thislevelisoccupiedbySecondaryDiplomaorCollegeDiploma)and7.7%atLimitedSkills(thislevelissuitableforSecondaryDiplomaorbelow).Theare177,000OmanisationopportunitiesinthecategoriesofSpecialistandTechnicallevelsandthat’swherethefocusshouldbeinthenext10yearsbetween2020to2030,howeverOmanisationaloneisnotgoingtosustainjobopportunities,OmanneedstocontinuegrowingtheSpecialistandTechnicalbasebycreatingjobsinthesecategoriestoaccommodatethehugeinfluxofOmanidegreegraduates,bottomlineOmanisationisashorttermenablerbutnottheultimatelongtermsolutionforemploymentinOman.60,000Omaniscategorizedas“LimitedSkillsLevel”,moreeffortsneedtotakeplacebythepublicandtheprivatesectorstoupskillthiscategoryofOmanistomovetowards“Skilledlevel”bydoingsoyouareautomaticallyimprovingthewellbeingandthesalariesof60,000Omanisinthemarket,andtoensurethatthereshouldnotbeOmanisinthefutureoccupyingthelevelof“LimitedSkills”,thesejobsarenotattractiveforOmanisandtheycreateamajorhurdleinworkforceturnoverandsomucheffortsisfocusedonmanagingOmanisinthiscategory.Over107,000Omaniswithqualificationofpreparatoryandbelow,andonekeyareaofOmanisationissuccessiontotakeoverhighervacantpositionortakingoverfromanExpatriate,throughgainingskillsandgaininghigherqualifications.Thisisthenormalpathtopromotion&careersuccess.ThePublicandthePrivatesectorstocollaborateandcomeupwithmeanandwaystofurtherdevelopthissegmentintheprivatesector,itisnoteasyasthenumberishugebutsettingtargetsaslittleas5%peryearwillcontributepositivelytowardsOmanisation.FinallyupdatesofOmanis&Expatriatesjobtitlesmusttakeplaceimmediatelytoensurewehavethecorrectinformationanddata,itisnotanautomaticpracticeintheprivatesectortoupdateemployeesrecordsintheMinistryofManpoweruponchangeofjoborpromotiontoahigherjob,thisusuallytakeplaceinternallyinthecompanies.ThefocusoftheMinistryofManpowershouldbeonamacrolevelratherthanamicrolevel,meaningitshouldnotfocusonwhatjobstobeOmanised,butthepercentageofOmanisationateachlevelbeit“Specialists”or“Technical”,etc.thiswayitgivesthe


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libertytotheCompaniestodecidewhatjobstheywouldliketohireexpatriatesbutatthesametimetheymustconformtothepercentagesstipulatedbytheMinistryofManpower.ThiswaytheOmanisationisbeingaddressedatalllevelsintheOrganizationsbeitattoplevel“Specialists”oratbottomlevel“LimitedSkillsLabourers”.

ConclusionandRecommendations• Toredefinethe“Unemployment”terminologyandthe“Jobseeker”terminology• Tobepro-activeonhowtopresenttheUnemploymentandtheJobSeekersinOman

andalsocompareOmanwithitsneighboringcountries.• Omandoesnothavehighunemployment,comparedtosomeEuropeanorAsian

countries.• Therewere170,000jobseekersin2011comparedtolessthan45,000in2017(most

arerecentgraduatesof2016and2017)• 107,000Omaniswithqualificationofpreparatoryandbelow,Up-skilling&

developmentofthissegmentwillcontributepositivelytowardsOmanisation• UpdatesofOmanis&Expatriatesjobtitlesmusttakeplaceimmediatelytoensure

wehavethecorrectinformationanddata• UtilizationoftheNationalTrainingFund(NTF)toupgradetheskillsandthe

qualificationsof60,000Omaniscategorizedas“LimitedSkillsLevel”• Toredefinethelevelofresponsibilitiesanditisrecommendedtoonlyfocusin

providingjobopportunitiesforfreshOmanis“firsttimers”inprivatesectorandfor“freshgraduates”

• Torelinquishfindingjobopportunitiesforthoseleavingtheprivateorthepublicsectors,beitresignedorterminatedOmanis(exceptforthoseterminatedduetoCompanyclosureorbankruptcy)

• ThefuturefocusoftheMinistryofManpowershouldbeona“MACRO”levelratherthana“MICRO”level,meaningitshouldnotfocusonwhatjobstobeOmanised,butonthepercentageofOmanisationateachlevelandleaveittotheCompaniestodecideaslongastheycomply.

ThefocusoftheMinistryofManpowershouldbeona“MACRO”levelratherthana“MICRO”level,meaningitshouldnotfocusonwhatjobstobeOmanised,buton

thepercentageofOmanisationateachlevel&industry

TheFutureofOmanisationandsuccessionliesinthecategoriesofSpecialists,TechnicalandOccupationallevels,thesewillaccommodatethe95%ofSecondary

DiplomaOmanisundergoingHigherEducation


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10.OmaniTalent(TheTrends&MajorChallenges)OverviewofOmaniGraduatesinHigherEducationInstitutions(2010-2016)

Highlights&SummaryTheabovetableprovidesanoverviewofOmanigraduatesfrom2010to2016,thenumberofgraduatesinprivateinstitutionshasdoubled,similarlythefemalegraduatesfromprivateinstitutionsistwicethemalegraduates.Furtheranalysisongovernmentinstitutions,50%ofgraduatesarefromtheCollegesofTechnology,followedby25%ofgraduatesarefromSultanQaboosUniversity(SQU),witheconomicdownturnaseriousreviewneedstotakeplaceonpossiblemergerofallothercollegesthatproducetheremainderof25%ofgraduatestoincludethemaspartofSultanQaboosUniversity(SQU)andaspartofCollegesofTechnology(forexample;in2013/2014academicyear,theCollegesofTechnologyforevery11students1academicstaffwhilstCollegesofAppliedScienceforevery5students1academicstaff).In2016,Omanhad23,830OmanigraduateswithDegreesandDiplomashighestevertoenterthejobmarketandwithmoreuniversitiesandcollegesbeingestablishedthenumberwillrisegraduallybeforeitstabilizeandgodowninthefuture.In2015(93%ofstudents)&in2016(96%ofstudents)passingtheGeneralEducationDiplomaandenrollingintoHigherEducation,thisindicatesthatmostOmanisareprovidedwithopportunitiestocompletetheircollegeoruniversityeducation,meaningthemarketisalreadyhavingmoreeducatedOmanisincontrasttofewyearsearlierbetween2007to2010only44%onaverageperyearenrolledintohighereducation!.55%to60%arefemalegraduateseveryyear,andasofJuly2017therewere31,223femalejobseekersrepresenting62%ofjobseekersinOman,thenumberisalarmingbutnotsurprisingsomeofthespecializationlikeEngineering,StructuralEngineering,Buildingrequirefieldworkorjobsrelatedtoplantsandfactories,difficultforfemaletotakeontheseroles,thetypicalexampleOil&Gasandworkinginthedesert,workingontherigsetc.thisisnotuniquetoOmanorGCCthisisaworldwideissueinUSonly12.9%workingfemaleengineersandinUKisevenlowerto8%workingfemaleengineers.(Source:www.randstad.com)

PrivateColleges&Universities 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 AverageMale 1903 2004 2085 2233 2882 3126 3823 2579Female 3137 3639 3266 4079 5047 5265 7256 4527Total 5040 5643 5351 6312 7929 8391 11079 7106

GovernmentSponsoredColleges&Universities 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 AverageMale 4112 4498 4468 6098 6334 5033 4919 5066Female 4777 4505 5521 6637 6700 5072 6141 5622Total 8889 9003 9989 12735 13034 10105 11060 10688

Male(Total) 6015 6502 6553 8331 9216 8159 8742 7645Female(Total) 7914 8144 8787 10716 11747 10337 13397 10149Total 13929 14646 15340 19047 20963 18496 22139 17794

Government&PrivateColleges&Universities 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 AverageEnrolledStudents(fromGeneralEducationDiploma) 23644 27206 29525 30146 32746 34743 34043 30293TotalGraduatedStudents 15769 15077 16616 20547 21454 19063 23830 18908%EnrolledStudents(fromGeneralEducationDiploma) 49.3% 63.7% 73.4% 83.2% 89.9% 93.0% 96.2% 78.4%Excludes-VocationalTraining/PostGraduatesOmanandOverseas/andPrivatelysponsoredOmanis


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Furtherstatisticsareevenmorealarming5790(26%offemalejobseekers)aregraduatesofbusinessadministration,and5946(27%offemalejobseekers)aregraduatesofInformationTechnology(Source:PAMRJune2017),theseareofficejobsandnotEngineeringdisciplineswherefemaleneedtoworkinthefield.Doesthemarkethasenoughjobopportunitiesin“InformationTechnology”discipline?,areviewneedstotakeplacebyboththeMinistryofManpowerandtheMinistryofHigherEducation.Bottomlineaseriousreviewonidealspecializationsforwomentopursueinhighereducation,theultimatepurposeofeducationistogettherightjob.TheMinistryofHigherEducationhasalargerrolehereineducatingsecondarydiplomastudentstopursuetherightqualificationsforfuturejobopportunities.ItispivotaltoimmediatelypreparetowardsmanaginglargereducatedOmanisenteringthejobmarket,SecondaryDiplomaholdersattheageof17or18areabletoworkinanyjob,howeverUniversitygraduateswithspecificspecializationatanageof23or24isfarfrustratingforthemtoworkinanyjobinthemarket,especiallyafterspending5yearsoftheirlifestudying.Sourcingthrough[PublicAuthorityforManpowerRegistry(PAMR)]TheAuthorityprovideslatestinformationonjobseekers,andthedataisusedtocallincandidatesforvariousavailableopportunitiesandjobfairs.TheMinistryofManpowerhastakentheinitiativesinannouncingjobvacanciesandconductingtheinterviewsatvariouslocations,howevertheturnouthasbeenextremelylowfromthecandidatescalledinandturningoutforinterviews,Thecandidatesareselectiveandveryfewacceptthejoboffers,similarlythechallengesarethesamefortheprivatesector.PersonallyworkedwiththePublicAuthorityforManpowerRegistry(PAMR)toseekpotentialcandidates.Wefacedchallengesinthecorrectnessoftheinformation(candidatessupplied),weseekedtoemploy“PeoplewithSpecialNeeds”andrequestedfrom(PAMR)alistofsuitablecandidates,theauthoritysuppliedustwicethelistofPeoplewithspecialneedsandturnedoutthecandidateswerenormalandhealthyjobseekers.Despitetheabove,collaborationwiththeMinistryofManpowerandPAMRreapedverygoodresults,inoneoftherecruitmentcampaignsinSur,weinvitedaverylargegroupupto500candidates(sourcedfromPAMR)torecruit22qualitycandidates,thisrequiredextensiveinternalresourcesandtimebutitwasworththeeffortsandtheMinistrysupportedusincludingprovidinginterviewvenue.InJuly2017theMinistryofManpowerorganizedaverysuccessful3daysspecializedengineeringrecruitmentcampaignincollaborationwiththeprivatesector,itwasafocusedcampaign,atotal2,200jobseekershavingbachelor’sdegree,highand


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vocationaldiplomainengineeringandtechnicalspecializationsparticipatedinthefair,interviewing1606candidatesand498candidatesretrievedandfinallyresultedin1314beingrecruited.Therewere108privatesectorcompaniesparticipatedwith1,694vacanciesavailableforfreshOmanigraduates.SourcingTalent(ThePrivateSectorChallenges)SkillsShortage(WorldWide,MENARegion&GCC);Thegraphbelowdemonstratestheshortageofskillsworldwide,advancedcountriescurrentlyarefacingmajorchallengesinskillsshortages,thisphenomenaexistsworldwideincludingtheMENAregionandtheGCC,allsurveysindicatesthisasamajorchallenge!OmanfacessimilarchallengesoftheMENAregionandtheGCC,withhighdependencyofexpatriates,unemploymentishighamongsttheyoungpopulation.Theeducationsystemrequiresrevamp,lackofsufficienttrainingandpreferencetowardsthepublicsector

Fromthelateststatistics(Source;PAMRJuly2017),only13,236(26%)ofOmanisage30+arejobseekers(assumedmajorityinthiscategoryhaveworkexperience),firstandforemostthereisaneedtounderstandthatthepoolofexperiencedOmanis“jobseekers”isverysmallandlimited,andtheonlywaytotapinexperiencedOmanisisfromtheexistingpoolofemployedOmanisbyusingvarioustalentsourcingmethods,anddespiteallthemethodsandeffortswewillnotbeabletotakeoverorreplacemanyofthejobsthatrequirespecializedskillsandexperience.


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Thefollowingreportsandsurveysprovideaninsightofskillsshortagesandhowtoovercomethisdilemma;HowwilltheGCCclosetheSkillsGap?-Ernest&YoungTalentManagementintheMENAandGCCRegions:ChallengesandOpportunities-Springer,ChamDOIStateofGlobalWorkplaceReport–Gallup2017TheSkillsGapintheMiddleEastandNorthAfrica,ARealProblemoraMereTrifle?Bayt.comHighTurnoverinKSAandinOman;Thereportsinthenextsectionwillhighlightthechallengesofthenewgeneration“YoungOmanis”,theirexpectationsandwhataretheylookingfromtheprivatesectorOmanisTurnoverStudyinthePrivateSector(2012);thesummaryofthestudyconductedbytheMinistryofManpowerandasurveyconductedinSaudiArabiabyMercer,theoutcomeandthefindingsshouldnotbeunderestimatedtheypavethewaytosolutionsonmajorissuesintheprivatesector.TheturnoverofOmaniswasontherisefrom28,000in2008to62,000in2012,thiswasalarming,andcreatedahugeburdenforthegovernmenteffortsinemploymentandcreationofsustainableworkforcetherefore,astudybytheMinistryofManpowerin2012,leadbyMr.SalimNasirAlHadhrami–DirectorGeneralofPlanning&Developmentwasconductedandproducedameaningfulandcomprehensivereport,thefollowingwerethekeyfindings;OverviewSummary70%ofrespondentswerelessthan25yearsofage88%resignedand93%ofterminatedrespondentswereamongstsecondarydiplomaandbelowandwithsalarieslowerthanOMR300Over70%oftherespondentsspentlessthan12monthsatworkTheFindingsReasonsofresignation/termination80%resignedbecausesalary&benefits“Notgoodenough”35.7%resignedbecauseofbadtreatmentfrommanagementorthesupervisors50%resignedbecauseofclosingdowntheofficeorprojecttermination22.7%saidtheywereunfairlyterminated22%ofterminationwasbecauseofabsenteeismReasonsofresignationsaspermanager’sviews67%movetoCompanywithbetterbenefits43%salaryisnotgoodenough34%worklocationisfarfromhomeReasonsofterminationaspermanager’sviews83.3%ofterminationduetoabsenteeism33.3%ofterminationtheemployeeisnotcompetent


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Whathappenedafterterminationorendofcontract?43%ofrespondentscouldnotfindalternativejobsafterresignation67%ofrespondentsdidnotfindalternativejobsafterterminationAlsojobhoppingishigh(2jobsorabove) Whatmusttakeplaceintheprivatesectorcompanies?CompaniesmustconformtothelabourlawTheministrytoconductperiodicvisitsandinspectionsCreatealaworaproceduretofacilitateemployeepromotionsintheprivatesectorCompaniestoconformtoprovidingmedicalcaretotheiremployeesRecommendationswithregardstoresignations;Salarymustimprovementintheprivatesector,andpaymentofsalariesontimeCleardisputesbetweentheemployeesandtheemployerontimeandinaprofessionalmannerTraining&DevelopmentofemployeesneedstotakeplaceAlignsalariesandtheretirementschemetothepublicsectorRecommendationswithregardstoterminations;Inunfairdismissalthecompanymustpayatleast6to12monthsofemployeelastsalaryAppointmentofexperiencedOmanisatleadershippositionsAnautomatictransferofemployeestothenextcontractoruponcompletionofprojectwithsimilarsalaryandbenefits(thiswillcreateworkforcestabilityandsustainability)NationalizationStudy–MercerSaudiArabia(2013)Mercer’steaminSaudiArabiaundertookastudytowardstheendof2013followingsignsthatturnoveramongkeySaudihiresacrosstheSaudilabormarketwasontherise.ThesurveywasdesignedtohelpbothemployersandSaudinationalsunderstandwhatwasconsideredimportantwhenitcametoattraction,developmentandretentionofSaudiworkersresponseswerereceivedfrom116HRmanagers,businessowners,andseniorexecutives,aswellasfrommorethan400SaudimenandwomenOne-thirdofSaudinationals(25%ofmen,33%ofwomen)indicatedthattheyplannedtostaywiththeircurrentemployernomorethan1-3years.Evenmoreso,between14%-17%acrossallages(21–50+years)saidtheyplannedtostaywiththeircurrentemployerslessthanoneyear.Thesurveycoveredareasofvariablepay,benefits,careerdrivers,educationvs.job,commandorcollaboration,worklocation,flexibleworking,employeehealthbenefits


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WhatmotivatesOmanisandtheirpreferenceinselectingajob?ThefollowingisasnapshotfromareportbyOxfordStrategicConsultingcarriedoutin2016onOmanisworkinginthepublicandtheprivatesectors,ithighlightswhatmotivatesOmanisandthechallengestheyfaceinfindingtheirpreferredjobWhatMotivatesOmanis? DifficultiesOmanisfaceinfindingajob

Ref:OmanEmploymentReport2016byOxfordStrategicConsultingTheMillennialsand“Z”GenerationChallenges74%ofOmanijobseekersundertheageof29,and38%arewithuniversitydegreeandabove(Source;PAMRJuly2017),thesefiguresaredefinitelyconcerningwithyoung&dynamicgenerationwithlimitedworkexperience.Thereisaneedtodealwiththisgroupdifferentlyandmanage&matchtheirexpectationstomarketrealities.ThisgroupisdefinedastheMillennialsand“Z”generation.Manysurveys&researchhastakenplacetodefineandcharacterizethesegenerations,mainlytohelptheemployersonhowtoattractandmanagethesenewgenerationsatworkplace.HowtheMillennialsarecharacterized;[Ref;Millennialsatwork-reshapingtheworkplace(PWC)]• RisktakersandLoyaltytoself,expectedtohave6employersandmoreduringtheir

career,thisgenerationwillkeeponlookingforbetteropportunitiesalways• Personallearning&developmentiskeyandwork-lifebalanceismoreimportant

thanfinancialrewards• Theyareveryconversantwithlatesttechnologyandtheuseofitandtheyexpect

theorganizationtodothesame• Lookingforfastcareerladderdevelopmentopportunitiesi.e.fastadvancement&

promotions• Employerbrand(reputation),CompanyValues&Company’scorporatesocial

responsibility(CSR)isveryimportanttothem


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Theprivatesectorhasseenalltheabove,largeresignationsintheprivatesectorisviewedasnegative,howeveritisnormalforthisgeneration,Omanischangejobsveryoftenforbettermentandthisissimilartootherregions,forexampletheFarEastwherejobmoveiscommon(43%ofHongKongworkersarelookingtochangejobsin2017aspersurveybyJobsDB,andaccordingtoElliottScott’s2016GlobalHRSurvey,employeesinSingaporeareparticularlypronetojobhopping,Thesurveyfound78%ofrespondentshavebeenwiththeiremployerforlessthanfouryears,significantlyhigherthanthe72%globally,and51%revealedthattheyhavebeenwiththeiremployerforlessthantwoyears,comparedtothe48.5%globally).Work-lifebalanceisveryimportant,thenewgeneration,wanttocontributeintotheirjobsandhavetimeforthemselvesandfamily,ideallyCivilServicesector,Diwan,RoyalOmanPolice&RoyalSultanForceswillprovidethis,italsoprovidessecurityandpridetoworkforreputedgovernmententities,weshouldnotbesurprisedthatthesesectorsrankedhighlybyyoungOmanijobseekers.Mostoftheleaversarenotsatisfiedwiththeirpersonaldevelopment,companiesdonotinvestenoughinhumancapital(training&development),especiallywhenmostofOmanisarefreshfromschool,collegeoruniversityandhadnopriorworkexperience.Continuoushumancapitalinvestment(training&development)mustbeahighpriorityfortheboththeprivateandpublicsectors.Omaniswanttoadvancefast,andiftheydonotforeseetheirimmediatefutureprospects,theywillbeonthemoveagain;thereforecompaniesneedtoputmoreeffortsonthisandprovideclaritytonewjoinersincludingveryregularfeedbackontheirprogress&futureprospects.Reputationisveryimportant;Omanisareyoung&dynamicandwanttoworkinreputed,well-knowncompanies.ManyorganizationsinOmandonotinvestintheirbranding,donotcontributeintosocialcorporateresponsibly(CSR),majorityofOmanistendtoremainlongerwithinternationalorganizations,largetomediumcompanieswithhighinvestmentinCSR&Branding.Mostsurveysoutcome&reportshighlightsthatthepayislowandbenefitsarenotattractiveintheprivatesector,despitethedataindicatesandshowsacompletelydifferentpicture,furthermoreCompensation&BenefitsreportsbyHayGroupindicatingthattheprivatesectorinOmanhasbeeninabetterpositioninsalaryincreasesamongstthegulfcountries.Thishasbeenastigmaintheprivatesector,thepublicandtheprivatesectorneedtoworktogethertochangethisfalseimageandpresentthefactsandbrandtheprivatesectorbetter.ThegovernmentworkedwellinensuringsalariesofOmanisarelogged/paid,andallOmanismustberegisteredinSocialInsurance(PASI),howeverithasnotdemonstratedthesameonexpatriatessalariesandthereisnotransparentpicturedemonstratingexpatriatessalariesVs.Omanisindifferentcategories,thereisaneedfortransparencyandimmediateneedtoshowsalariesofOmanisandexpatriatesintheprivatesector,


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finallyitisimportanttopainttherightpictureaboutthefutureofCivilServicejobprospectsandthelimitedjobopportunitiesnowandinfuture.Millennialsbelievethefollowingwouldmaketheorganizationasattractiveemployer;TheFollowingisasnapshotofwhatMillennialsbelievewhatwouldmaketheOrganizationasattractiveemployerfromthereportby(PWC)on“Millennialsatwork-reshapingtheworkplace”.

Ref;Millennialsatwork-reshapingtheworkplace(PWC)TheEmployeesEngagementChallengeEmployeeEngagementisdefinedasthelevelofanemployee’sPsychologicalinvestmentintheirorganizationThetrendsinglobalemployeeengagementstudymeasuresemployeeengagementwithaSay,Stay,Strivemodel.Employeesareasked:

• IftheySaypositivethingsabouttheirorganizationandactasadvocates• IftheyintendtoStayattheirorganizationforalongtime• IftheyaremotivatedtoStrivetogivetheirbesteffortstohelptheorganization

succeedThelevelofemployee’sengagementintheMiddleEastisoneofthelowestglobally,andthisisthekeyareawhereemployeesarenotconnectedtotheiremployersandemployersarenottryingtoconnectwiththeiremployees.


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ThisisamajorchallengeinOman,especiallyastheprivatesectorisdominatedbyexpatriatesandnotstrivingtoworkhardtoconnectandunderstandhowtoengagewiththeyoungOmaniworkforce,the2014NCSISurveyresultshighlightsmajorareasemployersandorganizationsneedstotakeintoconsiderationtoenablethemtobetterconnectwiththeiremployees,areaslikeremuneration,workenvironment,lackofincentives,poortreatmentfrommanagersorleaders,disconnectbetweenthejobandemployee’stalent,lackofgrowthopportunities&worklocation(Formoredetailsonthis,pleasereferto2017TrendsinGlobalEmployeeEngagementbyAoN)Conclusion&RecommendationsWiththeeconomicdownturnaseriousreviewneedstotakeplaceonpossiblemergerofallothergovernmentcollegesthatproducetheremainderof25%ofgraduatestoincludethemaspartofSultanQaboosUniversity(SQU)andaspartofCollegesofTechnology(forexample;in2013/2014academicyear,theCollegesofTechnologyhadforevery11students1academicstaffwhilstCollegesofAppliedSciencehadforevery5students1academicstaff).Toaddressthefutureoffemalehighereducationspecialization(62%ofjobseekersarefemale),TheMinistryofHigherEducationhasalargerrolehereineducatingtheSecondaryDiplomastudentstopursuetherightqualificationsforfuturejobopportunities.TheOmanstudyin2012andtheSaudiArabiastudyin2013,bothstudiesresultedinameaningfuloutcome,thenatureandthechallengesofbothOmanandSaudiArabiawereverysimilarinnaturei.e.youngworkforce,theleveloffemaleparticipationintheprivatesector,theresignationatagesof25andbelowweremuchhigher,andworkenvironmentrelatedissuesandthelevelofcollaborationbetweentheemployeesandtheemployer.Fromthe2012Omanoutcomeandanalysisofthestudy,theMinistryhasaddressedmostofthesethroughMinisterialdecisions,salarieshavebeenincreased,alignmentwithgovernmentwithregardtoweeklyholidays,andpublicholidays,promotionprocedurehasbeenproduced,moreinspectionshastakenplace,addressingofemployeesgrievances&disputesandmanymore.ThereisaneedtobeverycarefulandfarmoresensitiveinmanagingthelargenumberofeducatedOmanisandtrytomanageanddiffusetheirfrustrationsandgrievances.Thereisaneedtoreviewthejobmarket,intermsofjobtypes,joblevelsandworksmarterwiththeprivatesectorincreatingfutureinterestingjobs(jobssuitablefordiplomaanddegreeholders).Despitealltheactionsthattookplaceoverthelast4years,percentageoftheOmanileaversintheprivatesectorkeptonrisingandCompanieswerenotabletoretainOmanisatworkplace,asindicatedearlierthetypeofworkforceareyoungandmostof


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themfallwithinthecategoryofthenewgenerationcalledthe“Millennials”&the“Z”Generation.ExtensiveworkisrequiredbyboththeMinistryofManpowerandthePrivateSectortoaddressthechallengesandtheneedsofthisdynamicnewgenerations,belowaresomeoftheareastobeaddressed;• Workethics• Workculture• OnboardingofOmanisintonewcompanies(Omanisaretheminoritiesintheprivate

sectorandneedtobesupported)• Jobsmustbechallenging&interesting• EachOmanitohaveaclearjobdescription• EachOmanitohaveclearTasksandTargets(roles&responsibilities)• PrivatesectorneedstoinvestintraininganddevelopingofOmanisandenablethem

tobecomeskilledandprofessionalworkers,anddevelopthebestintofutureleaders

ExtensiveworkisrequiredbyboththeMinistryofManpowerandthePrivateSectortoaddressthechallengesandtheneedsofthesedynamicnewgenerations


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11.WorkforceOverview&Observations(Omanis&Expatriates)OverviewofExpatsandOmanisperOccupationCategories(2009-2015)

Highlights&SummaryTheabovetabledemonstratesOmanisarenottakingupsomeoftheoccupations,resultinginthedeclineofOmanisationpercentagesince2013,whilstmoreexpatsarerecruitedintheseoccupationsandtheirnumbersareontherise,areaslikesales,serviceoccupations,andauxiliaryengineering,Industrial,chemicalandfoodindustries.AsRoyalOmanPoliceandRoyalSultanForcesopenedjobopportunitiesfrom2011todate,andasOmanissearchingforstabilityandbettersalaries,thisresultedinitiallyinhugeresignationsfromtheprivatesector,andcausedtheOmanisationpercentagestodecline,howeverthetrendindicateslackofOmanisintheseoccupationsandalsolackofinterestfromOmanistoworkintheseoccupations.

OverviewofExpatriatesperSkillsCategories(2011vs.2016)

OccupationsCategories Expats Omanis*Directors,Managers&Administration 31725 4557Scientific,Technical&HumanMattersSpecialists 68159 11118Scientific,Technical&HumanSubjectTechnicians 61263 10936ClericalOccupations 2712 37182SalesOccupations 46690 13305ServiceOccupations 215728 39916Agriculture,Stockbreeding,&Hunting** 104894 1094Industrial,Chemical&FoodindustriesOccupations 60719 10754Principal&AuxiliaryEngineeringOccupations 460956 53586Total 1052846 182265

*2009&2011numberofOmanisisbasedonpercentagefromthetotal(actualnumbersofOmanisnotstatedintheMinistryofManpowerYearlyReports)

**Agriculture,Stockbreeding,&HuntingrecordsintheyearlyReportsfluctuatessignificantlyI.e.2009to2011adropof96kandfrom2013to2015ariseof96k

2009% Expats Omanis*14% 36206 715116% 65686 1451818% 59147 134351371% 2616 4637128% 51269 1473519% 132005 459381% 8615 86718% 71463 1343512% 590355 5785517% 1017362 216687



20112009% Expats Omanis*20% 42824 878022% 73031 1675923% 62333 17608

1773% 2279 4857629% 70591 1319035% 178735 4617010% 10066 79319% 95856 1442410% 773266 5839821% 1308981 224698



20132011% Expats Omanis21% 40128 1070423% 79200 1963028% 61086 180322131% 2691 5116519% 85971 1167426% 230997 436778% 106840 52915% 119493 144918% 854133 5179217% 1580539 221694



20152013%27%25%30%

1901%14%19%0.5%12%6%14%

2015

SkillsLevels Workforce#Specialists 93079Technical 56275OccupationalLabourers 242927SkilledLaboures 259876LimitedSkilledLabourers 462433Total 1114590

2011Workforce#

117805596484176254083527845501787980

2016 Difference%

21.0%5.7%41.8%36.4%41.1%37.7%

OmanisationinthePrivateSectorhasdeclinedfrom21%in2011to14%in2015


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OverviewofOmanisperSkillsCategories(2011vs.2016)

Highlights&SummaryTheabovetableindicatesthatOmanisaretakingupmoreSpecialistsroles(31%)andTechnicalroles(14%)thisalsoreflectstheincreaseinmorequalifiedOmanisinthemarketbeitfreshfromcollegesoruniversities,orworkingOmanistakinguphigherstudiesonparttimebasis.(19%)decreaseinOmaniswithLimitedSkills,thisisverypositivetrend.

OverviewofWorkforceSkillsCategoriesinthePrivateSector(2016)

Highlights&SummarySpecialistandTechnicalExpatriateshadanaverageincreaseof4700peryearrepresenting23%increaseoveralloverthelast7years(thiscategoryoccupiedbyexperiencededucatedworkforceincludingmanagementlevels),thisshouldbeahugeconcernasnotenoughjobcreationishappeningathigherroles.OccupationalLaborershadanaverageincreaseof10,000peryear(thiscategoryisoccupiedbyexperiencededucatedtechnicians)48%ofExpatriatesinthelast7yearswereinthe“LimitedSkillslevel-832,000”.

SkillsLevels Workforce#Specialists 21755Technical 15677OccupationalLabourers 66609SkilledLaboures 40132LimitedSkilledLabourers 72514Total 216687

2011Workforce#

3182818255702374213360630223083

2016 Difference%

31.6%14.1%5.2%4.7%-19.6%2.9%

OmanisationSkillsLevels 2016 % 2016 % %Specialists 31828 14% 117805 7% 27.0%Technical 18255 8% 59648 3% 30.6%OccupationalLabourers 70237 31% 417625 23% 16.8%SkilledLaboures 42133 19% 408352 23% 10.3%LimitedSkilledLabourers 60630 27% 784550 44% 7.7%Total 223083 1787980 12.5%

ExpartiatesOmanis

• TheNotionthatOmanistakeupveryjuniorrolesintheprivatesectorisaMYTH!

• (19%)decreaseofOmaniswithLimitedSkills,thisisverypositivetrend(45%)increaseofOmanisinSpecialistsandTechnicalSkills


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OverviewofWorkforceEducationLevelinthePrivateSector(2016)

Highlights&SummaryAsdemonstratedintheprevioussectiontheoutcomeofeducationlevelsofOmanisinthepast6yearsandthepercentageofOmanisgoingintoHigherEducationstudiesissignificantlyontheincrease,thereareover100,000jobsoccupiedbyexpatriateswithdegrees.GraduatesandexperiencedOmaniscantapintothispool,similarly50,000jobsareoccupiedbyexpatriateswithCollegeDiplomaorCertificate.However,75%ofworkingexpatriateshavepreparatory&belowEducationlevel,meaningmajorityofexpatriateworkersinOmanarebluecollarworkers,i.e.occupyingjobsthatdonotrequireeducation(44%limitedskilledlabourers)and(23%underskilledlabourers)withthisinmindcurrentlyover95%ofOmanisreceiveopportunitiesinhighereducation,that’swhyitispivotaltofocusincreatingtherightjobsfrom2020to2040.Finallyhaving23622expatriatestheireducationlevelisnotdefined(asstatedinthe2017statisticalyearbook),doesnothelpOmanmovingtowardsprovidingbetterjobopportunitiesforOmanis.Thereisaneedtocleanupandcorrectthedata,howcomethedataforOmanisiswelldefinedandthereisambiguityfortheexpatriates.

EducationLevel Omanis % Expatriates %Degree&Above 24290 10.4% 102868 5.8%CollegeDiploma 19449 8.3% 50566 2.8%SecondaryDiploma 82144 35.1% 260034 14.5%Preparatory&Below 107986 46.2% 1350889 75.6%NotStated 23622 1.3%Total 233869 100.0% 1787979 100.0%

46%ofOmanisinthePrivateSectorholdpreparatory&belowqualifications!


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12.AttractionandRetention(TheTrends&MajorChallenges)SchoolDropoutsThiscategoryofdropoutsisnotwellmanaged,thereare6129registeredasschooldropoutsaspersourcesfromtheMinistryofManpower(SourceJobseekerattheOmanisationCareerFairinMuscat,OmanonMay14,2017.SalehAlShaibanyforTheNational).

Infacttheyhavebeencompletelyignoredandiftheirconcernsarenotaddressed,thiscategoryisalreadyahugeburdentothesociety,thedropoutsarenotdefinedorrecordedinanyofthestatisticalyearbooks,firstofallthisshouldbedefinedandrecordedbytheMinistryofEducation,secondlyitispivotaltounderstandwhatleadtheseyoungdynamicstudentstodropoutfromschool,reasonsmayvaryfrom(mentalcapacity,peerpressures,familypressures,familylivingconditions,orothermedicalandsociologicalreasons),itisimportanttounderstandandanalyzethisgroupandfindsolutionsandenablethemtoblendandjointhesocietywithdignity,thisisnotasmallnumberandnottobeunderestimatedtherearedropoutsfromSecondaryDiplomaanddropoutsfromlowerlevels.Havingschooldropoutsshouldnotbeasurprise,theresultsofthesestudentsarewellknownbytheMinistryofEducationyearonyearandthereisaneedstoprovideaschemeorawayouttomovethiscategoryfrombeingcalledschool“Dropouts”intoa“SuccessStory”.Thereisaneedtoimmediatelystudytheircapabilitiesandhowtheycancontributepositivelytothesocietyandmanagethemwellbydesigningspecialprogramsforthisgroup,theywillenrichthejobmarketandtheOmaniSocietywillbeproudofthem.SecondaryDiplomaGraduatesThedemandofsecondaryschoolgraduatesinGovernmentinstitutionshasdepletedinthelast10years,aseffortsfocusedinemployingcollegeanduniversitygraduatesandtheemploymentofsecondaryschooldiplomawasminimal.TheRoyalSultanForces,RoyalOmanPolice&RoyalGuardhaveextensivelyrecruitedOmaniswithSecondaryDiplomaandbelow.Intheprivatesectorandinlabourintensiveenvironmentlikeconstruction,factories,plants,services&saleswasandstilltheidealsectorstorecruitSecondaryDiploma&below,Howeversuchsectorsfaceextremechallengesinattractingandretainingemployees,theindustryischallenging,workistoughanddemanding,andtheCompaniesarenotworkinghardtolookatvariousmethodsofattractingandretainingOmanis,thereforeOmanisavoidtojointhesesectorsandpreferother.WiththeincreaseoftheminimumsalaryintheRoyalOmanPoliceandRoyalSultanForcestoaroundOMR450,thiscreatedinstabilityinthejobmarketandtheMinistrywitnessed1000’sofresignationsfromtheprivatesectortojointheRoyalOmanPoliceandRoyalSultanForces.TheprivatesectorminimumwagewasatOMR200andevenwiththeincreasetoOMR325itissignificantlylowerthanRoyalOmanPoliceandRoyalSultanForces.Howeverduetobudgetconstraintsandeconomicdownturnvarious


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governmentbodieshasreducedandsomehasstoppedtherecruitmentoffreshgraduates,similarlytheRoyalOmanPoliceandRoyalSultanForcesdespitetheircontinuousrecruitmentcampaignseveryyear,thenumberisnotassignificantasduringtheArabspring2011to2013.Thereareabout9352femaleand8898malewithSecondaryDiploma&below(Source;PAMRJune2017),Itisstrangetohave18,000SecondaryDiplomaandbelowjobseekersinamarketoccupiedby1.6mexpatriateswithSecondaryDiplomaandbelow.Obviously,thisreporthasaddressedthatthereareseriousconcernswiththeprivatesectorandthereisaneedtotaketheseissuesveryseriously,similarlythereareconcernswiththe“jobseekers”andthereisaneedtoaddresstheseissuesandfacilitateasmoothtransitionfroma“Studentlife”toan“Employeelife”.UniversityGraduates&ExperiencedProfessionalsReferencetothenewprojectsandtheexpansionshighlightedearlier,Banking,Oil&Gas,Electricity&TelecomsectorsarehighlyOmanisedandfacepressurestomaintaintheirOmanisationpercentagesdespitetheexpansions.ThismeansmorepressureinrecruitingprofessionalOmanisandthetrendnowistointerviewcollegeanduniversitystudentswellbeforetheygraduateandprovidethemwithconditionaljoboffers(supply&demand).Similarly,theInsuranceindustryishighlyregulatedbyCMAandwillhavemorepressureintheyearstocometoOmanisehigherpositionslikedepartmentheads,specialistsandmanagerialpositions.Majorrecruitmentcampaignsaretakingplace,thelocalchallengeisthatallsectorsaretappingfromthesamepoolagainandagain,eventhegovernmentsectoristappingfromthesametalentpooloftheprivatesector.CompaniesintheUAEandQatar,headhuntOmanigraduatesfromUniversities&Colleges.Schlumberger,Halliburton,BakerHughes,EtihadAirways,EmiratesAirlinesandQatarAirwayspaywellandhaveawell-structureddevelopmentschemeswithacompetitiveedgethatattractsyounggraduates.MosttopcompaniesinOmanrecruitfreshgraduatesandputthemintotechnicaldevelopmentpath.InOil&Gas,Industrial&Petrochemical,Banking&Telecombasicallybreeding&developingtheirownpeople,startupsrunrecruitmentcampaignstoselectthebestfromthemarket,typicallyduringtheestablishmentof“OmanRail”,andduring“ORPIC”expansionandothermajoroil&gasCompanieswithhugeexpansionsandgrowth.CompanieshavecommencedusingtheonlinemethodstosourceexperiencedprofessionalslocalandinternationalincludingtheuseofprofessionalmedialikeLinkedIn,Bayt.com,GulfTalent,NaukriGulf,MonsterGulf,andmanyothers,similarlythepublicsector(Governmentinstitutions)areapproachingheadhunterstosupportthemtorecruitgoodqualityOmanisandtherelianceontheCivilServiceMinistryprocesswilleventuallydiminishduetomanyreasonsaslackofnewtalentwithinandtheneedtotapinexternaltalent.


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Attractingthrough(TheJobExhibitions&Careerfairs)ThefollowingaresomeofthejobfairsthattakeplaceinOmanannually;• OmanisationCareer&TrainingOpportunitiesfair–underthepatronageofMinistry

ofManpowerforthetechnicalcollegesinSalalah,Ibra,AlMusanaa,Nizwa,Shinas&Ibri)

• CareerFair–SultanQaboosUniversity• HigherEducation,Training&CareerExpo,byCollegesofAppliedScienceinRustaq,

Ibri,Salalah,Nizwa,Sohar&SurunderthepatronageofMinistryofEducation,HigherEducationandManpower

• Othercareerfair–organizedby-ModernCollegeofBusiness&Science(MCBS),OmanTourismCollegeandothers

Fromtheabovetoomanyjobfairsforasmallmarket,thesejobfairsneedre-structuringandtobeorganizedandmanagedunderonebody,noindividualcollegeoruniversitytoconducttheirownjobfairs,thecountryneedsacollectiveeffort.Thejobfairsshouldbebasedondisciplinesandspecializationsforexample;• Oil&Gassectorjobfair;• Banking,FinanceandInsurancesectorjobfair;• Construction,Engineering&IndustrialjobFair;• InformationTechnologyandTelecommunicationssectorjobFair;• Business,Management,Marketing,SocialMedia,Press&Advertising• OtherslikeEducation,HealthandSocialSciencesTheabovejobfairs(disciplinewise)cancovermostofthejobseekers(asperPAMRJune2017records),andaspertherecentstatisticsofeducatedgraduatesenteringthejobmarket,eachjobfairwillhaveactiveparticipationfrommanyCompaniesandtheirsubcontractorsandwillattractspecificjobseekers,theeffortswillbecollective&focusedandattracthighparticipationfromboththeEmployersandthejobseekersAlltheColleges&Universitiesmustunderstandthecapabilitiesoftheprivatesector,apartfromlargemultinationalcompanies,manyothercompaniesdonothavetheresourcesandcapabilitiestoparticipateinalloftheseorevensomeofthesefairsacrossthecountry,itisalmostimpossible,Itwouldbehighlybeneficialtocollectivelymanagethisactivitythroughasinglebodyandconductingoneortwojobfairperspecializationeveryyear,thiswillresultinattractingtheprivatesectortoparticipateandcollaboratebetterwiththeeducationalinstitutions,insteadofrequestingthesecompaniesrandomlytoattendorparticipateinvariousjobexhibitionsandcollegesacrossOman.Attractingthrough(TheTraditionalmethods)Sourcingthroughthetraditionalmethodsi.e.newspapers,hasbecomeobsolete,itworkedinthepastandwithlatesttechnologyandsocialmediatrends,newspapershasnotbeendeliveringtheresultsneeded,thishasmadeemployerstodirecttheireffortsintoheadhuntingoruseLinkedIn,orotherrecruitmentsites,withtheavailabilityofsocialmediaandinternet,candidatesarenowusingonlinejobsearchandthescopeis


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notlimitedtoOmanonlyasinthepastbutcandidatesgobeyondOmanandexploringopportunitiesintheGCC.InOmanmanycompanieshavenotbeenverysuccessfulinattractinggoodtalentorgoodcandidates“ExperiencedOmanis”throughadvertinginnewspapersonbothfrontqualityandthenumbersandmostofthemhavebeenfacingthesameissues,thelackofqualityexperiencedcandidates,andthelimitednumberofexperiencedapplicants.“LogisticsIndustry”postlaunchofoneof“highprofileproject”postedseveralhighexposurejobadvertsinthelocalnewspaperstorecruitexperiencedOmaniprofessionals,thequalityofapplicantswaspoorandtheyhadtoheadhuntandusedifferentmeanstorecruit,despiteitshighprofile,theprojectstruggledtoattractgoodexperiencedapplicants,bearinginmindprojectliketherailisnewtoOmanandsuchexpertisearenonexistence.“TelecomIndustry”hasseensimilartrend,thereductionofnumbersandlowqualityofapplicants,localjobadvertingisreducedtominimumandmovedtoothermethodslikeLinkedInandothers,whena2ndproviderlaunchedinOman,similarlyexpertiseinTelecomwerenonexistenceunlesstheypoachfromoncesource“the1stprovider”!“Wastewaterindustry”ahighprofilewellestablishedgovernmentCompanyfacedsimilarissuesinattractinggoodqualityOmanis,similarlyitisanewindustryandlackedexperiencedOmanis.“BankingIndustry”twonewIslamicbankswerelaunched,NizwaBankin2012andAlizzBankin2013,bothbankscreatedopportunitiesforexperiencedOmanistojumptheshipfromtheirexistingemployersandtrynewventure,therecruitscamefromthesamelocaltalentpool.Thesewell-establishedreputedCompaniesarefacinghugechallenges,ifsuchlargefirmsfacesuchchallenges,thereforeSME’sfaceeventougherchallenges,belowarethehighlightoftheworkforcechallenges;• MajorexistingCompaniesareexpandingandthuscreatedmoreopeningsand

opportunitiesforinternalpromotionsorexternalrecruitment• RecentdevelopmentandnewmajorprojectsinOmanhasabsorbedmanygood

professionalcandidatesfromexistinglocalcompanies.• TheGCCchallengesaresimilarandactfastinattractinglocalOmanistoworkinUAE

andQatar,i.e.Etihadairwayshavingaspecialleadershipprogramme,theyhavelaunchedrecruitmentcampaignsinOmantoselectedandrecruitedqualityOmanis

• TheSaudi&Bahrainimarketsarefacingtheirownchallengesandthehighunemploymentofyounglocals.

• TheGCCRailprojectisinsimilarsituation,anewindustryintheregionandallaresourcing&attractingfromthesamelimitedpoolinGCCoroverseas.

• Omaniexperiencedprofessionalsarelimitedintheoverallworkforcepoolandcompaniesareheadhuntingfromthesamelimitedpool


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• AvailableexperiencedOmaniprofessionalswhoareroamingand/orhoppingfromcompanytocompanyandregardedasjobseekersfromthestatisticsifweconsidertheexperiencedOmanipoolwith10+yearsexperiencerepresent4653only10%ofthejobseekers!(Source:PAMRJune2017).

Attractingthrough(TheSocialMedia)47%(23965ofOmanijobseekersareMillennials),and26%(13187ofOmanijobseekersfallwithingeneration“Z”),and60%ofthemarediplomaanddegreeholders,thisindicatesalargeeducatedsegmentandmostprobablyconversantwiththeuseoftechnologyandlatesttrends,intotal72%ofthejobseekersareyoungandboththepublicandprivatesectorsneedtofundamentallychangethewaytheyattractorsearchforOmanis.TheSocialmediasignificantlychangedthewayOrganizationssourceorsearchfortalentandsimilarlytheJobseekersareusingthelatesttechnologiestosearchandfindjobs,includingotherwebsitesthatrecentlyhavebeencontributingpositivelyintoemploymenttrendsinOmansiteslikeMujeed.comandOmancareers,belowisanoverviewof4ofmajorsocialmediasitesthatcontributespositivelytowardsemployment.LinkedIn;isaninterconnectednetworkofexperiencedprofessionalsfromaroundtheworld,Thereareover500millionprofessionalsusers(April2017)Facebook;isthelargestofthesocialnetworkingsiteswithover1billionusersTwitter;isamicrobloggingsocialnetworkingservice,messages,betterknownastweets,arenomorethan140characters,accordingtotheirwebsite,“Twitterisasimpletoolthathelpsconnectbusinessesmoremeaningfullywiththerightaudienceattherighttimeithas328millionusers(Q2-2017)Instagram;isamobile,desktopandinternet-basedphotosharingapplicationandservicethatallowsuserstosharepicturesandvideoseitherpubliclyorprivately,ithas700millionusers(June2017).BasedonaresearchfromiCMS,aweb-basedemploymentsoftwarecompany,itshowsthatmostHRprofessionalsaren’tlookingforcandidatesintherightplaces.Refertotheinfographicbelow;


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iCIMS,Inc.isanAmericansoftwarecompanyfoundedin1999.Itisaleadingproviderofsoftware-as-a-servicetalentacquisitionsoftwaresolutionsforgrowingbusinesses.


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LinkedInreporton2017EmploymentTrendsinMENAregion


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2014SurveyofOmaniViewsMarketDirectionbyNationalCentreforStatisticsandInformation(NCSI)

The2014surveyresultsindicatedobviousdirectionofjobsearchbythestudents,jobseekersandtheemployersareheadingtowardstheInternetandthehighutilizationofsocialmedia.ToconnecteffectivelywiththejobseekerstheEmployers,theMinistryofManpower&theMinistryofCivilServiceneedtoalignthemselvestothemarkettrends,advertinginnewspapersisnolongeranoptimaloption,organizationsmustmovetowardsbetteruseofthetechnologyandthesocialmediatobetterenablethemtoconnectwiththepublicandthejobseekersandreapfastandbetterresults.


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TheChallengesof“JobSeekers”Belowisanoverviewofthechallengesthatcanbeexperiencedinthesegroupsandtherecommendedsolutions;FirstTimers“JobSeekers”

SecondaryDiploma&below CollegeandUniversityGraduates• Lowmorale(workcultureshock,moving

frombeingastudenttoanemployee)• Readinessfora“joborwork”• LimitedknowledgeonCVpreparation• WeakornonEnglishlanguageskills• Nointernshiporworkexperience• Limitedknowledgeofprivatesector• Salaryexpectationsisnotrealistic• Nothadanyinductionon“workethics”• LogisticalChallenges• Newenvironment,newlocation

• ReceivedsomekindofsupportinCVpreparation

• Receivedsomekindofsupportininterviewskills

• BetterEnglishlanguage• Manyhadoneormoreinternship• Basicunderstandingofprivatesector• Salaryexpectationsismorerealistic• Basicunderstandingonworkethics• Logisticalchallenges• Newenvironment,newlocation

ProposedSolution ProposedSolutionTheMinistryofManpowerwithcollaborationwiththeprivatesectortodesignspecialworkshopstoaddresstheabovechallengesandconductworkshopsinsmallergroupsExplainthechallengesofwork,notjustinOman,anywhere

TheMinistryofManpowerwithcollaborationwiththeprivatesectortodesignspecialworkshopstoaddresstheabovechallengesindepthandconductworkshopsinsmallergroupsExplainthechallengesofwork,howtogrowasaprofessional.

ResignedorTerminated“JobSeekers”

SecondaryDiploma&below CollegeandUniversityGraduates• Lowmorale(notabletoadopttowork

culture)• Lackofinterest• Challengesatwork• Challengeswithemployer• Challengeswithsupervisor• Challengesofnewlocation• Jobnotchallengingornotinteresting

• Lowmorale(notabletoadopttoworkculture)

• Lackofinterest• Challengesatwork• Challengeswithemployer• Challengeswithsupervisor• Challengesinnewlocation• Jobnotchallengingornotinteresting• Jobnotrelatedtospecialization• Careerprospectsisnotclear

ProposedSolution ProposedSolutionTheMinistryofManpowerwithcollaborationwiththeprivatesectortodesignspecialworkshopstoaddresstheabovechallengesandconductworkshopsinsmallergroups.Explainthechallengesofworkandhowtoovercomethechallengesatworkandtoincludeworkethics

TheMinistryofManpowerwithcollaborationwiththeprivatesectortodesignspecialworkshopstoaddresstheabovechallengesindepthandconductworkshopsinsmallergroupsExplainthechallengesofwork,howtogrowasprofessionalandhowtoovercomethechallengesatworkandtoincludeworkethics


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WhataretheSuccessFactorsfortheabovetowork?• Theworkshopsyllabus“content”mustbeexciting,dynamic&positive• Toinjectpositiveimageoftheprivatesectorandit’ssuccesses• Theworkshopmustcontainasectionon“Teambuilding”exercisestoinjectpassion

andsynergy• Theworkshopmustcontainasectiononworkethics• Theworkshopmustcontainatestandminimumpassingmark• Theworkshoptobeconductedbyprofessionals,preferablybycapableHR

professionalswithprivatesectorexperience• Noonetoberegisteredasajobseekerinthedatabasewithoutpassingthe

workshop“notjustattending”butmustpassthetest.EmploymentOpportunitiesforOmanisEmploymentOpportunitiesforOmanisperOccupationCategories(2009-2015)

EmploymentOpportunitiesforOmanisperEducationLevel(2009-2015)

Conclusion&RecommendationsThejobopportunitiesprovidedhasbeenconstantatanaverageof66,000jobsperyearhowever,overthelast7yearsthenumberofOmaniresignations&terminationsisontheriseatanaverageof45,000peryear(highestisinMuscatregion30%average,followedbyAlBatinaregionatanaverageof20%).Someexpertsmaysayturnoverishealthy,however20%turnoverisveryhigh,significantworkandeffortsmusttakeplacebyboththeMinistryofManpowerandtheprivatesectortoaddressthereasonsand“minimizetheturnoverpercentages”andstabilizetheemploymentmarket.WhilstthegovernmentisfocusinginprovidingjobsforthenewinfluxofyoungOmaniSecondaryDiplomaandCollegeGraduates,atthesametimeitfacesahugenumberof

JobOpportunitiesProvided 2009*Directors,Managers&AdministrationScientific,Technical&HumanMattersSpecialistsScientific,Technical&HumanSubjectTechniciansClericalOccupationsSalesOccupationsServiceOccupationsAgriculture,Stockbreeding,&HuntingIndustrial,Chemical&FoodindustriesOccupationsPrincipal&AuxiliaryEngineeringOccupationsTotal 71477*2009detailsnumbersarenotavailablefromMinistryofManpoweryearlyreport

20111149372936291234552721370031433771924762762

*2009detailsnumbersarenotavailablefromMinistryofManpoweryearlyreport

20131842394738971162139671201823834781697257980

20152836633743791702248201351515735922078073438

EducationLevelofnewemployedOmanis 2009BelowSecondaryDiploma 39598SecondaryDiploma 25946AssociateDiplomaUniversityDegreeTotal 71477

5933

201132784236272957339462762

201331689198532903353557980

201537368257316162417773438


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jobleaverseveryyear,thisofcoursedistractsthejourney.These2categoriesneedstobemanageddifferently&separately,Omanis“firsttimers”joiningtheworkplace&resignedorterminatedOmanis.Whilstongoingeffortsiscontinuinginaccommodating45000jobleaversyearonyear,theonusmustbelefttotheindividualsandgivingthemsomekindofsupportandtoredefinehowtheyaresupported.SimilarlythereisaneedtodealwithSecondaryDiploma&belowJobseekersandUniversityjobseekersseparately,boththesetwocategoriesneedsaredifferentandthewaytheyaremanagedandsupportedmustberedefined.Locally,therearespecificrealitiesneedstobeaddressed,issueswereraisedinmanyreportsandopinionsonOmanijobseekers.Finallyonthedropouts,asurveyorstudyispivotaltounderstandwhatleadstheseyoungdynamicstudentstodropoutfromschool,furthermorethedropoutsshouldbewelldefinedandrecordedbytheMinistryofEducation,andincludedinthestatisticalyearlybooks.

13.Movingfrom“Omanisation”to“CreationoftheRightJobs”1,350,889registeredexpatriates(byend2016)withqualificationslessthanpreparatorycertificate,andmanycanonlyreadandwrite,therearenoOmanisinsuchnumberstoreplacetheexpatriatesinthiscategory,asmentionedaboveOmanhaslessthan4300Omanijobseekersholdingpreparatorycertificate&below,thisisinsignificantnumberanditisalarmingthatthereisunemploymentinthiscategory.260,000oftheworkingexpatriatesinOmanholdingsecondarydiploma,therefore14,000Omanijobseekerscantapintothepoolof260,000jobsoccupiedbyexpatriates,thisisalsoisinsignificantnumberanditisalarmingthatthereisunemploymentinthiscategory.

66,000averageEmploymentopportunitiesprovidedeveryyearbytheprivatesectorforOmanis

• 90%ofExpatriatesqualificationsarebelowSecondaryDiploma,meaningtheyoccupyjobsnotsuitableforOmanisanddonotmatchOmanisskills!

• 81%ofOmaniswithSecondaryDiplomaandbelow!46%ofOmanisarewithQualificationsofPreparatory&below


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OmanisationhasworkedwellinthepastespeciallyintheOil&Gas,Banking,Telecomsectors,andtheinsuranceisfollowingsuit.Howeverothersectorshavelackedbehindandsomeareextremelylow,itiswisetoreviewitsOmanisationpolicy,successesandfailuresandlearnfromtheOmanisationJourney,whatdidtheOil&Gas,BankingandTelecomsectordorightinOmanisation,whatweretheirsuccessfactorsandtheirchallenges?ItispossibletofocusonspecificinterestingindustriesforOmanis,alsounderstandwhyOmanisarenotinterestedinworkingintheconstructionindustry,agriculture,farmingandstockbreeding,industrial,chemicalandfoodindustriesandhowtheycanworktogetherwiththeseindustriestomakeanother“SuccessStory”between2020to2040.Inamarketofaverage40,000OmanisenrolledforGeneralDiplomaCertificate(2016)vs.1.7millionexpatriates,itseemsithasbeenachallengeinOmanisation,mainlyreplacingexpatswithOmanisinthesevarioussectors,butthefundamentalelementistheprivatesectors’commitmenttotrain&developOmanis,supportOmanisduringtheironboardingandjoiningtheCompany,andtodevelopstateoftheart“TransitionalProgramme”toenablethenewjobseekersadoptandmovefroma“Studentlife”toan“Employeelife”andenterthejobmarketandbecomeanenablerratherthanaliability.Thefocusofthecountryasawholemustchangepost2020,weneedtomovefromtheconceptof“Omanisation”totheconceptof“Creatingtherightjobs”forOmanis,studieshavetakenplacetoidentifyfutureskillsneededandfuturejobs,similarlymanyjobsaredisappearing“allthedevelopednationsonearthwillseejoblossratesofupto47%withinthenext25years,accordingtoarecentOxfordstudy.“Nogovernmentisprepared”TheEconomistreports.NewjobsareemergingwiththeintroductionofnewtechnologiesorindustrieslikeSolarenergy,Driverlesscars,Virtualreality,Drones,ArtificialIntelligence,InformationTechnologyandCyberSecurityarecompetingforjobslikeneverbefore.Theisaneedtoreviewthefutureneeds,whatkindofjobsOmanneedstosustainitsvision,whatkindofjobsthatwilldisappearanddiminishovertime,forexamplewehavebeenfocusingallotonbasicjobslikePublicRelationOfficers(PRO’s),light&heavydutydrivers,etc.bythetimetherailprojectiscompletedmanydriverroleswillstarttodiminish,withthenewtechnologyofdriverlesscarscomingintotheregion,thejobofadriverwillnolongerbeneededanditwillbeverydifficulttofindotherrolesorredeploytheOmanisintoothermeaningfuljobsandwillstartanotherchallengeof“Employability”,thereforeitiswisetostartfromnowfocusingonfuturesustainablejobsandrolesthatwillfitOmanisbetween2020to2040.Similarlyatthesametime,thereisaneedtogearthenewgenerationwiththefutureskillsneededinthejobmarketbyaligningtheeducationcurriculawiththeemployersneeds,adetailedsurveyandreportwascarriedoutbyE&Yin2014ithighlightswhatstepstobetaken.(Source–HowwilltheGCCclosetheskillsgapbyE&Y)


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WeneedtodefinethemeaningofjobcreationinOman,andworkonthemeansandwaystocreateexcitingandmeaningfuljobs,ideallytoconductworkshop(s)withprominentBusinessLeaders,Sr.HRManagersandHRDirectors,CEO’sandgovernmenttopDirectorstodiscussandworkonhowtofacilitatethecreationoffuturechallengingandinterestingjobopportunitiesforOmanisalignedwithfutureindustriesthatwillbecreatedbetween2020to2040,belowarefewofthesuggestionsonjobcreation;1- ThestandardArabgulfdirectoryforoccupationalclassificationandspecification

AreviewbytheMinistryofManpowerontheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofaligningtotheGCCclassifications,andhowmuchsuchclassificationhindersthefuturegrowth.AgoodexampleistobenchmarkwithSingapore’s13000+jobsandreclassifyOman’sjobstoenableidentifybetterfuturejobopportunities,aclassicexampleinthecurrentArabclassificationisnotinparwithlatestjobtrendsandlatesttechnologyjobs.Forexamplethemarkethasmovedandnewjobsinthemarketarenotlistedtonameafewi.e.EngagementManager,HRBusinessPartner,SocialMediaroles,etc.

2- Categorizationofjobs“Omanisable”or“NotOmanisable”?Toworkcloselywiththeprivatesectorandenablethem,theMinistryneedstoberealisticinclassifyingjobsasOmanisable,therearejobsthatOmanisdonotprefertoworkinandtheOmanisationbecomesinsignificant,forexamplethejobsintheconstructionindustrylike“Mason”or“MenBarber”or“Clown”.ProperrecordsofallworkforcetobecorrectedandthatwillprovideadifferentpictureonOmanisation,fornowduetolimitedjobsclassification,theprivatesectortendstousetheclosestmatchandthatshouldbeavoidedatallcost,thenextphaseistomoveawayfromthenumberorpercentageandmovetowardsqualityrecordsthatreflectrealities“actualjobs”,refertotheabovesection“TheFutureofOmanisationintheprivateSector”.

3- TowardsamoreeducatedandwellqualifiedOmanis:CreateanincentiveforcompanieswhosponsorOmanisforfullorparttimestudies,thisneedstobebrandedandcapitalizedandhonorthosecompanieswhosponsorOmanisforhigherstudies,includingCompanieswhohaveinternalsponsorshipstudyschemes(thesecompaniesarecontributingtothesocietyandthedevelopmentofOman).

4- Towardsprovidingimmediateopportunitiesandminimizeunemploymentdown

timeperiodforOmanis:RedefineminimumwagesforDiplomaandDegreeholdersforSME’s–manyoftheSME’sandstartupsarenotabletorecruitOmanisatthesesalaries,andtheroleofgovernmentistoenablebothOmanistogetjobsandSME’stohireOmanisifDiplomaholderminwageforSMEisOMR350andDegreeHoldersminwageforSME’sisOMR450,thiswaymorejobopportunitiescanbecreatedforOmanis,andtheemploymentanddevelopmentcanbeexpedited,certainrulesmustbeinplacetoavoidmisuseandtogivetheSME’satimeperiodforsuchremunerationi.e.uponthecompletionof24monthsemploymentwithSMEemployertheOmaniemployeemustbealignedtothenormalminwagei.e.OMR450forDiplomaholderandOMR600forthedegreeholder(subjecttohis/her


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performance),thiswaywefasttracktheemploymentandimmediateopportunitiesforOmanistogainexperience.

5- OnjobTraining(postgraduation):Redefinetheonjobtrainingpostgraduationand

theMinistrytoputrulesandaprocessinplace,usuallythisterminologyisdefinedasastudentwhoseekstraining,suchdefinitionhinderstheonjobtrainingopportunitiesforOmanispostgraduation,asCompaniescannottakeagraduateOmaniandplacehim/herasatrainee(withoutemploymentcontract),MinistryofManpowerinspectorsdonotallowsuchpracticeassumingthatemployersuseOmanisandmakethemworkinsteadofrealtraining,thereforemanycompaniesrefusetoentertaintraininggraduatestoavoidfinesorotherconsequences.

6- Creatingamentoringandcoachingpool:RedefinetheworkforOmanisbetweentheagesof60to70toworkinorganizationsasexperts,specialistorconsultants,andutilizingtheirextensiveknowledgetoinjecttheirexpertisebackintotheyounginexperiencedOmanisandmentor/coachyoungOmanis“Y”and“Z”generations.Retirementageneedstoberedefined,theOmanisareminorityinthelabourmarket,andtheprivatesectorisabletoabsorbthem,manycompaniesusetheruleofreachingtheretirementageof60yearstoendtheemploymentoftheOmaniregardless,thisactsasadisadvantagetoOmaniexpertswithextensiveexperience,byredefiningtherules,thegovernmentsendsapositivemessagetothecompaniesthatsuchOmanisarevaluableandshouldbeutilizedandbenefitthesectorandultimatelythecountry.

7- Towardsprovidinggoodopportunitiesfor(PWSN):Thelawonemploymentof

Peoplewithspecialneeds(PWSN)needstoberevisedinto“employandtrainpeoplewithspecialneeds”,thissegmentofthesocietyhasbeenneglectedforlongtimeandcompaniesarenottakingapro-activeroleinrecruitingthem,usingtheexcusethattheyarenotqualifiedornotabletoperformthejobs,thisconceptmustchangeandbecometheresponsibilityofthepublicandtheprivatesectortorecruitthemfirstandthentrainthemandplacethemintosuitablerolesandmeettheirquotas,includingstatingthenumberofthe(PWSN)jobseekersinthepublicauthorityformanpowerregistry.

8- RulespertainingExpatriatesworkinginOman:Theministrytoreviewalltheirruleswithrespectspecificworkpermitsforexpatriates,agoodexampleSaudiArabianewruleofyearsofexperience,wherenoexpatriateswillberecruitedwithlessthan5yearsofworkexperience,suchrulewillfacilitatetheemploymentofyouth,similarlyanewrulecouldbeintroducedformanagerialjobsorexperts(nottobeexaggeratedtheworldisfacingskillsshortagesoweneedtobecareful).

Intheendof2013,inanefforttocreatemorejobopportunitiesforthenationals,theOmanigovernmenthaschangedvisaregulations,underwhichonlythoseexpatriatesearningmorethan600riyalspermonthwillbeeligibletobringtheirwivesandchildrenbelowtheageof21on‘familyjoiningvisa’,howeverinOct.2017thisrulewasevokedandexpatriatescanaccompanytheirfacilitiesiftheirearnings


64

aboveOMR300,thisrulehadasignificantnegativeresultstothecountryeconomically,expatriatewerenotabletosustainwiththeirfamiliesandthisresultedinmoremoneygoingoutofOmanandlessexpenditureandhassignificantlyaffectedtherealestatemarketontopofthealreadylowoilprices.RulesshouldmovetowardsattractingqualityexpatriatesandcreatingastableworkingenvironmentinOman.(Source-http://www.globalpropertyguide.com)

9- Increasetheworkpermit“Fees”:CurrentlytheworkpermitcostsOMR301,with

1.7millionexpatriatesworkinginestablishments,anincreaseofOMR100ontheworkpermitfees,willgenerateOMR170millionevery2yearsofwhichcanbeutilizedtotrain&developOmanisorcanbeutilizedasacontributionfromthegovernmenttotheprivatesectoronthefirstyearofemploymentofeachgraduate,20,000graduateswithdegreeandthegovernmentcontributeshalfoftheminimumwageforadegreeholderOMR300totaling60millionand10,000graduateswithdiplomaholderhalfofminimumwageOMR225totaling22.5million,thiswayeveryOmanihaseasyaccesstoajobduringtheirfirstyearofemploymentandwillreceiveagoodexposureofatleastoneyearofworkexperienceandrelievestheprivatesectorburdentopaysuchsalariesforinexperiencedandfreshOmanis.

10- CreatingjobopportunitiesthatcoverslargerpoolofOmaniworkforce:agoodexampleonthisthatwillenablealargesegmentofsecondarydiplomaandbelow,byredefiningsecurityopportunities,forexamplewhynotmakeitmandatorytoallhotelsregardlessoftheirratingtohaveapoolofsecuritypersonnelunderthe“SecurityandSafetyServicesCo”,whynotmandatoryforeveryhighrisebuildinginOmantoemploybuildingsecuritypersonnel?TheprofessionofsecuritypersonnelisanattractiveandrespectableroleforOmanisandwithpropertrainingtherearegrowthopportunities,thisisoneexampleofjobcreation.

11- FreeofChargeCentralizedJobApp:MinistryofManpowerincollaborationwiththe

privatesectortodesignandlaunchajobapplication,andmakeitmandatoryforalljobstoberegisteredandadvertisedintheAppandcandidatescanapplydirectlyonline,thiswayensuringacentraldatabaseofalljobsadds,andaneasyaccesstoalljobseekers,eliminatesjobsadvertsinnewspapersandhugesavingsforCompanies,andthiswillaligntheMinistryofManpowertowardsnewtechnologiesandservingthenewgenerationmuchbetter.


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14.ThePowerofthePrivateSectorTheprivatesectorwasableonanaveragetogenerate122,000jobsperyear,whilsttheCivilserviceonaverage12,000jobsperyear.Theprivatesectorgenerated10timestheCivilservice,thisshouldnotbeunderestimated,evenifweconsiderthousandsofintakesbytheRoyalSultanForcesandRoyalOmanPolice,stilltheprivatesectoropportunitiessupersedes.TheprivatesectormustbetakenseriouslyandworkcloselywithbusinessownerstowardsbeingatruepartnerinthedevelopmentofOman,andmovetowardsclearingallthehurdlestheprivatesectorfaces.

15.FinalConclusion&RecommendationsWithworldmajorchallengeofskillsshortage,SourcingandattractingtalentwillbethenextchallengeinOmanandtheregion.OmanandtheGCChasaveryyounggenerationandgrowingfast.Themarketdynamicsischangingfromtotaldependenceonoil&gastodiversificationindifferentindustrieswithintheGCC.Omanfocusesontourism&logistics,whilstBahrainandDubaifocusestobecometheIslamicandthefinancialhubs,tourism&hospitality,medical&entertainmenthubs.DespitethehighOmanisationanddevelopingofin-houseskillsandOmanitalentinmanyreputablecompanies.TheemploymentofOmanisintheprivatesectorstillremainsonlyat12.5%,anindicationthatmanyjobs,beitjuniororsr.professionals,whiteorbluecollararestilloccupiedbyexpatriates,whichraisesthechallengestofocusmoreonlongtermtraining&developmentoftheyoungOmanistoenablethemtotakefuturechallengingrolesoccupiedbyexpatriatesortakenewcreatedchallengingjobs.Companiesmustrecruit,developowntalent,andputinplacedevelopmentalschemestoensureOmanisprogressandprosperfast.ThecurrentmarketstatisticsindicatesthatmajorityofOmanisstaywithemployerslessthan2yearsandrecentstudyconductedintheFarEastindicatesthesame,retainingemployees,isnotuniquetospecificcompany,eventhetopplayersinOmanarefacingthesamechallenges,recruitinglocallyinOman,meaningallcompaniesaretappingfromthesamelimitedpoolandCompaniesarewillingtopayhighertosourceawelldevelopedandtrainedlocalOmanitoachievetheirOmanisationorfulfillingtheirbusinessneeds.

Theprivatesectorhascreatedonanaverageof122,000jobsperyear!


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MajorityofOmaniworkforceisyoungandwillcontinuetoseethetrendofresignationsandmovingfromCompanytoCompanyeitherforthebettermentorforchallengingrolesandbettercareerprospects.Theturnoverrateswillbehighandatunprecedentedrates,(alltherecentreportsindicatesthis)thiswillhaveanimpactonhowemployeesaremanagedandengagedandtheutilizationofHumanCapitalInvestments(HCI)intraininganddevelopingOmaniswillbeatalltimecritical.

Thewayaheadisclear,iftheprivatesectoraddressesthechallengesandcreateschallengingandmeaningfuljobs,committohighinvestmentintraining&developingofOmanis,createanexcitingandgoodworkenvironmentandcompanieslearnhowtoworkwiththenewgenerationthe“Millennials”andthe“Z”Generationenteringintothejobenvironment,adifferentpictureofOmanwillstarttoemerge.Thenextphasebetween2020to2040thegovernmentsectorwillnotbeabletokeepabsorbingthesamenumbersofjobseekersasdemonstratedsince2011thegovernmenthasbeenrecruiting75%oftheOmaniworkforcebeitintheCivilServicesector,RoyalSultanForcesorRoyalOmanPolice,“ithasreachedthestageofsaturation”.Therehastobeabodythatoverseesandmonitorsthenumberofjobsstatedinthestrategiesforexample,theNationalTourismStrategy2040(NTS)andtheNationalLogisticsStrategy2040(NLS),todefinethejobscreated,howmanyjobsarecreatedforOmanis“Only”andhowmanyjobsareopenforall.Theabovemustbesupportedscientificallywithamonitoredimplementationplan,anyfailureoftheseplanswillcostOmandearly.Finally,yesthereareimmediateandlongtermchallengestobeaddressedparticularlybytheMinistryofEducation,MinistryofHigherEducationandMinistryofManpowerbysupportingOmanispriorenteringthejobmarketandbytheMinistryofCommerceandIndustrybysupportingtheprivatesectorwithrobustefficientbusinessregulationsandenablingSME’stogrowandremovingalltheirobstaclesandworktowardsincentivizingandenablingtheSMEtohireOmanis.


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Researchby;Engineer.MasoudAlMaskary–Sr.HRConsultantMasoudAlMaskary,isanengineerbybackgroundgraduatedfromNottinghamTrentUniversityin1989inBuildingManagement,joinedPetroleumDevelopmentOman(PDO)workedinmaintenanceandmajorconstructionprojectsinthe1990’s,wasoneofthedriversofISO14001certificationforPDOpilotproject,laterwasresponsibleforthedevelopmentofyoungengineersachievingmajoraccreditationforengineeringdevelopmentschemefrom6majorUKinstitutionsandmanagedtheplanning&developmentofallengineeringemployees,after13yearsinPDOmovedtoDaleelPetroleumasanHR&AdministrationManagerandlatertoNawras(Ooredoo)asanHRDirector,andthentoValeasStrategicHRManager,OmanSailasanHRDirector,andrecentlySr.HRManageratMazoonElectricityCo.Masoud’sexpertisespansover27years,ofwhich17yearsinHumanResources,tohighlightfewofthemajorachievements;• AchievingthehighestOmanisationinNawras,ValeandOmanSail• Achievingaccreditationfrom6UKinstitutions(firstintheMiddleEast)• Developedpoliciesandproceduresformanyorganizations• ExpertiseinDevelopingpeople,SourcingTalent,PerformanceManagement,

EmployeeEngagement,SuccessionDevelopment&PlanningMasoudworkedinmajorindustrieslikeOil&Gas,Telecom,Mining,Sport&Tourism,andtheEnergysector,astheFounderandCoOwnerofAjyalHRsolutionsandservices,aConsultancyfirmestablishedin2006,tosupporttheHRindustryinOmanandtheGCC,thecombinationofhisexposure&experienceinvariousindustriesandConsultancybusinesshasgivenhimauniqueperceptiveofOmanmarketandthechallengesOmanisfaceintheprivatesector.Contact;e-mail-masoud.almaskary@gmail.commobile-0096895881310ThanksandAppreciation;WewouldliketothankAlMadinaInsuranceCompanySAOGforthereviewingandthetranslationofthisresearch


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Sources&References;StatisticalYearlyBooks2012,2013,2014,2015,2016&2017–NationalCentreforStatistics&informationJobSeekersCharacteristicsReport(2003-2010)-–NationalCentreforStatistics&informationYearlyReports2009,2010,2011,2013&2015-MinistryofManpowerResignation&TerminationStudyintheprivatesector2013-MinistryofManpowerTheStandardArabGulfDirectoryforOccupationalClassifications&SpecificationGraduateSurvey2015andEmployerSurvey2016-MinistryofHigherEducationThePublicAuthorityforManpowerRegistry(PAMR)TheNationalProgramforEnhancingEconomicDiversification(TANFEEDH)-HandbookJuly2017TheNationalProgramforEnhancingEconomicDiversification(TANFEEDH)-LabourReportNationalizationoftheOmaniWorkforce-OmanEconomicReviewSeptember2003TheNationalCEOProgrammeTheNationalLeadershipandCompetitivenessProgram(NLCP)LaborMarketRegulationintheConstructionandContractingSector-OmanSocietyofContractorsSept2016KornFerryHayGroupAnnualClientForumOman-Sept2017OmanTheReport2016&2017-OxfordBusinessGroupOmanEmploymentReport2016-OxfordStrategicConsultingMaximisingOmanisTalent2015Report–OxfordStrategicConsultingBuildingGCCNationalTalentforStrategicCompetitiveAdvantage--OxfordStrategicConsultingTheroleofSocialSecurityfundsasinvestorsintheMENAcapitalmarkets:ImplicationsandChallenges–Muhanna&CoActuariesandConsultantsMercerKSANationalizationSurvey-2013LabormarketstructuresinArabcountries:whatroleforminimumwages?RaimundoSoto–DubaiEconomicCouncilTheStatisticalCentrefortheCooperationCouncilfortheArabCountriesoftheGulf(“GCC-Stat”)GCCCompensationandBenefitsTrendsin2014insightsfromtopcompanies-InformaTheEmployment-CompetitivenessNexusintheArabWorld:FindingsfromtheGlobalCompetitivenessIndex2012-2013HowwilltheGCCclosetheskillsgap-Ernest&YoungTalentManagementintheMENAandGCCRegions:ChallengesandOpportunities-Springer,ChamDOIStateofGlobalWorkplaceReport–Gallup2017TheSkillsGapintheMiddleEastandNorthAfrica,ARealProblemoraMereTrifle?Bayt.comSolvingUnemploymentforGCCNationals:asectorialapproach-Ernest&YoungYouthPopulation&EmploymentintheMiddleEast&NorthAfrica-PopulationReferenceBureau-www.prb.orgGCCWealthandAssetManagement2015report–“Fastgrowth,divergentpaths”,launchedattheFundForumMiddleEast2015-GeorgeTriplow,MENAWealth&AssetManagementLeader-Ernest&YoungGlobalWageReport2014/15-InternationallabourOrganisationHays–SalaryandEmploymentReports2015,2016&2017TheGlobalCompetitivenessReport2011–2012TheglobalCompetivenessReport2016-2017–WorldEconomicForumLabourMarketOutlook2016–uncoveringCausesofGlobalJobsMismatch-Indeed2017TrendsinGlobalEmployeeEngagement-AON�2013GlobalRecruitingTrends-LinkedinSingaporeStandardOccupationalclassification-www.mom.gov.sgMillennialsatwork-reshapingtheworkplace-PWCiCMS,aweb-basedemploymentsoftwarecompanyGenerationY–OxfordStrategicConsultingSeethefuture-Topindustryclustersin2040revealed–PWC


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Mobility2040–StayingAheadofDisruption–OliverWymanWorldBankInternationalMonitoryFund(IMF)TheOrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment(OECD)FinancialTimesMuscatDailyOmanObserverTimesofOmanGulfNewsTheNationalNewYorkTimesArabianbusiness.comtheglobaleconomy.comwww.worldometers.infowww.cia.govwww.indexmundi.comwww.un.orgwww.opaloman.orgwww.randstad.comwww.bncnetwork.netwww.meedprojects.comwww.globalpropertyguide.comwww.wikipedia.orgwww.ceicdata.comwww.focus-economics.comwww.arabianbusiness.com

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