Manama: Oman on Sunday announced the reservation of 11 professions in the private sector for citizens as part of its Omanisation drive, which bans expat in these jobs.
The Ministry of Manpower said that the ministerial resolution (No. 182/2020) regulates the practice of certain professions only for Omanis.
The professions reserved to Omani citizens are: Internal housing supervisor, sociology specialist, social service specialist, social care specialist, psychologist / social specialist, general social worker, student activities specialist, social research technician, social service technician, assistant social service technician and social worker.
Expats currently working in these professions can continue until their work permit expires. The work permit will not be renewed afterward.
The sultanate has recently intensified the Omanisation in various sectors that aims to reserve jobs for Omani citizens and replace expat workers with trained Omani’s.
On June 28, the Ministry of Manpower announced the Omanisation percentage in the fisheries and mining sectors starting from 2020 to 2024.
According to this, the mining sector needs to achieve 52 per cent Omanisation in 2020 and 60 per cent by the year 2024 in leadership positions. It has also set the target of 35 per cent Omanisation in the level of the professional worker by 2024. And the proportion of the national workforce in the mining sector in general would rise from 25 per cent in 2020 to 35 per cent in 2024.
In the fishing sector, the decision stipulates that the 50 per cent Omanisation for lead positions in 2020 target will reach 70 per cent by 2024. It has also set the target of 35 per cent of Omanization in the overall sector by 2024.
Earlier in February, the ministry had announced restrictions for hiring expat workers in some sectors. According to the restrictions, only Omanis can work as sales representative/sales promoters and purchases representative in the private sector. And it decided not to renew work-permit (visa) for expats still working in professions in which they can be easily replaced with Omanis. Also, the ministry banned foreigners in the online-delivery sector.
Prior to this, Shura council’s (Majlis Al Shura), first annual session (2020-2019), demanded that Omanis are to be hired for the following technical positions: laboratory technician, medical profession auxiliary, physiotherapist technician, nursing profession, pharmacy profession, pharmacist assistant/pharmacist, X-ray technician, supervisor/health observer.
In December last year, the Manpower Ministry launched an initiative to increase the Omanisation rates across the country’s expanding tourism industrial and logistics sectors starting 2020. According to that plan, the travel and tourism sector would need to meet an Omanisation level of 44.1 per cent, the logistics sector 20 per cent, and the industrial sector 35 per cent in 2020.
Omanisation is a policy enacted by the government of Oman in 1988 aimed at replacing expat workers with trained Omani Personnel. The Sultanate sets quotas for various industries to reach in terms of the percentage of Omani to expat workers. Companies which reach their government mandated goals are given a green card. Several Universities have been opened by the Sultanate to train the Omani workforce. Many of the government ministries have already reached 100% Omanisation.
According to the National Centre of Statistics and Information, there are 17 lakhs foreign workers in the country. Of this, around 8,00,000 are Indians.
