MUSCAT, Nov 4 - The Ministry of Manpower has warned of penal action against those circulating “misguiding reports” that job-seekers are being charged a fee for getting notified. “This is untrue. There is no fee or charge as claimed in a section of social media. People who circulate such misleading messages are liable to face legal action as per law,” said an official at the ministry. Urging job-seekers not to believe such incorrect reports, the official said the authorities are sparing no efforts in finding jobs for citizens.
“All Omani nationals who register with the Public Authority of Manpower Register (PAMR) will get jobs in accordance with their skills and qualifications,” the official said. While emphasising that job aspirants follow only those announcements made by official sources, he said, “The ministry has an online platform where nationals could register their details. This doesn’t need any charges.” “Scores of citizens seeking jobs are called for interviews daily by private companies and government undertakings. The government policy is that foreign workers be employed only if qualified Omanis are not available for the job,” the official said.
At the same time, he urged those who are already employed not to quit their jobs or leave their businesses to get enrolled in the registry as this will deprive other candidates of their eligibility. “It has been noticed that many job-seekers are those who resigned from their employment or are those who transferred their own projects to others in order to register with the authority,” he said. The manpower registry contains details of Omani job-seekers including their education and skill levels, so that they could be hired for suitable positions by the employers.
At a joint meeting of the Majlis Ash’shura last week, Minister of Manpower Shaikh Abdullah bin Nasser al Bakri and members of the Youth Human Resources Committee, a number of solutions and proposals to reduce the number of job-seekers, particularly university graduates, were discussed.
The minister assured the meeting that employing job-seekers in the private sector is continuing and has not stopped despite the challenges.
He said the private sector will exert concerted efforts to accommodate more Omanis in jobs in their establishments and minimise the requirement for expatriate labour force.
SAMUEL KUTTY
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