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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Nationals are preferred choice for jobs in private sector

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MUSCAT, May 22 - All Omani nationals, who register with the Public Authority of Manpower Register (PAMR), will get jobs in accordance with their skills and qualifications. This was asserted by a senior official at the Ministry of Manpower after finding jobs to more than 29,000 Omanis in just six months in the private sector. “The target is to ensure that there are no jobless youth in the country. All those who register with the authority will be provided, as far as possible, jobs that match with their qualifications and skills,” said Mohammed bin Ghalib al Hinai, Adviser, Human Resource Planning at the Ministry of Manpower.


The authority is a national manpower registry containing full details of Omani job-seekers including education and skill levels so that they could be hired for suitable positions by the employers. The ministry also has an online platform where the nationals could register their details. Al Hinai said that Omanis are the preferred choice for jobs in the private sector. Hundreds of job-seekers are called for interviews daily, arranged not only by the ministry for drop-in candidates, but also those conducted directly by the companies. “The government policy is that foreign workers be employed only if qualified Omanis are not available for the job,” he said.


In January this year, a six-month ban was imposed on hiring of foreign workers in 87 job categories by the ministry. The hiring freeze followed the issuance of ministerial order 2018/38, which was issued by the Minister of Manpower Shaikh Abdullah bin Nasser al Bakri. In another major action this month, the ministry penalised 161 companies for not complying with the government’s policy of a minimum 10 per cent Omanis on their pay rolls. While more than 40 foreign workers were found to have been in their employment register, not a single Omani national was employed by these companies.


Since a campaign to provide jobs for nationals started in December last, 29,176 of them are employed in various establishments in the private sector. Data from the ministry shows that construction sector hired the highest number of people with 32 per cent, followed by wholesale and retail trade with 14.6 per cent and manufacturing with 13.3 per cent. Of the total hired, 19,878 are men and 9,298 women. Of them, above 18 per cent are university graduates or above and others hold diplomas.


SAMUEL KUTTY


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