Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Policies to drive Omanisation in the private sector

Haider-al-Lawati
Haider-al-Lawati
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There is ongoing debate among some businessmen in the Omani society on the decisions mandating “Omanisation” in the private sector companies.


They argue that the Omani economy is a free economy and the choice of labour should be the responsibility of the companies founded by those businessmen and investors. The point is taken.


However, does reality indicate the desire of capital owners to choose their labour from citizens and provide them with employment opportunities as required without the intervention of the concerned entities?


Before answering this question, we should emphasise that any businessman or investor’s first and foremost goal is to make profit, and then comes other matters related to commitments to social issues, including the employment of national labour with the large number of graduates from different levels of lower and higher education, i.e., schools, diplomas and undergraduate / postgraduate degrees.


No one denies the fact that there are currently thousands of Omanis who have joined private companies during the past 49 years of the blessed Renaissance.


However, figures issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information indicate that the total number of insured Omanis working in the private sector reached 260,958 at the end of September 2019, compared to 1,678,723 expats working in the various disciplines of private sector institutions, bringing the total workers – Omanis and expats – in the private sector to 1,939,681 at the end of September 2019.


The percentage of Omanis in the private sector today stands at 13.45 per cent, compared to 86.55 per cent expatriates, which means that we have not achieved 25 per cent of “Omanisation” in the private sector during the past five decades, despite measures to this effect.


Therefore, we cannot blame government institutions that make these decisions if businessmen and investors do not consider issues of national and patriotic interest to the Omani society.


Moreover, over 30 per cent, or 78,783, of Omani labour in the private sector still earn wages ranging from RO 325 to just below RO 400 as of September-end 2019.


Private sector institutions, due to competition, cannot increase these minimum wages. Meanwhile, other categories earn a monthly wage of RO 400, 500, 600 and so on .As for Omani labour whose salaries range from RO 1,000 to just below RO 2,000, numbering 30,575, constituting 11.7 per cent of total private sector employees, whereas those earning salaries from RO 2,000 and above total 14,046, constituting, representing 5.4 per cent of the total workforce.


The concerned entities should look at these issues from a different angle, because decisions to mandate “Omanisation” has not yielded the desired result in the private sector. Training institutions should focus on upskilling Omanis and instilling in a work ethos suitable for careers in the private sector.


This requires a future vision. Setting in motion a strategy to employ 100,000 Omanis by 2020 will yield good economic, financial and social returns for both the country and the private sector.


The upcoming stage requires the development of plans that aim at good knowledge of the needs of existing private sector institutions and future investments so that the Sultanate can qualify and train Omani cadres in the required specialisations.


This is coupled with the need to bring the attention of national labour to respect labour laws, follow the necessary instructions that ensure productivity and good time management.


This will create a new culture for Omanis, enabling the private sector to announce any available opportunities with complete transparency and ensuring that expats are not the reason behind Omanis losing their jobs as a result of lies and fabrications to the business owner.


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