MUSCAT:The Sultanate of Oman is striving to find innovative solutions to support self-employed individuals through initiatives and projects focused on empowering citizens in the labour market. These efforts include providing specialised training programmes and freelance platforms, in addition to financing facilities to encourage young Omanis to start their own businesses.
Experts indicate that Oman is working to reduce the gap between the number of job seekers and available employment opportunities, which contributes to achieving sustainable economic growth and a competitive work environment.
Eng Azhar al Kindi, Technical Director of the National Employment Programme (NEP), explained that the “Masirah” initiative from the Development Bank is one of the factors supporting self-employed individuals and that the initiative is part of the National Employment Programme. He also praised the entrepreneurial nature of young Omanis, which is evidenced by the continuous increase in the number of young self-employed individuals.
According to the Ministry of Labour, self-employment is a key employment pathway for citizens. Supporting Omani entrepreneurs is a crucial factor in advancing the labour market and regulating this sector and providing appropriate financing can help entrepreneurs succeed.
It is well-known that financing challenges are among the obstacles facing entrepreneurs, but if the necessary funding is available and cooperation is fostered among all economic entities, Omani entrepreneurs will be able to become business owners and create new job opportunities.
The Development Bank provides financing for self-employment projects and offers licensed services to holders of self-employment licences who require funding or development. The objectives of self-employment financing are to empower individuals and help them diversify their income sources, as well as to promote a culture of self-employment within the community. Furthermore, the Oman Business Platform has opened new horizons for young people to start their own businesses in an organised and legal manner. This initiative comes within the framework of the government's efforts to support the local economy and promote a culture of self-employment by creating new job opportunities and enabling skilled individuals to transform their abilities into a sustainable source of income.
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority offers loans as the leading source of diverse and comprehensive financing programmes specifically designed to meet the needs of a wide range of projects and businesses. The SME Leadership Executive Plan for the period 2026–2030 includes a package of high-quality programmes and initiatives targeting various stages of SME growth. These include programmes to enhance readiness for expansion and export, integrated financing programmes, initiatives supporting handicrafts and the creative economy, and the development of a network of entrepreneurship centres across the governorates.
SMEDA affirms that the implementation of this plan will contribute to strengthening the sustainability of SMEs, creating quality job opportunities and empowering entrepreneurs to build viable and scalable businesses. This, in turn, will enhance the competitiveness of the national economy and align with the aspirations of the next phase.
In recent years, Oman has also witnessed a significant shift in work culture, with young people increasingly turning to self-employment and the growing reliance on the digital economy. The online freelance sector in the Sultanate of Oman has witnessed rapid growth, driven by changes in the global labour market and the trends of the digital economy and supported by national initiatives aimed at empowering youth and providing sustainable income opportunities across various digital platforms.
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