MUSCAT: The Diwan of Royal Court has directed all civil government units not to renew the employment contract of more than 70 percent of expats who are working as experts and consultants.

In a circular issued based on the orders of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, the Diwan of Royal Court also directed government units to issue retirement notice to Omani employees who are occupying the positions of consultant, expert and specialised manager and have completed 25 or more years of service. This applies to “not less than” 70 percent of Omani employees, the circular said. “This must be done based on the seniority and the notices must be issued not later than ‪December 31,  2020‬,” the circular explained.

Diwan also asked civil government units to issue retirement notices to “no less than 70 percent” of the employees who have exceeded 30-years of service based on their seniority. “This must be made not later than December 31,2020,” the statement said.

Diwan of Royal Court has entrusted the State Audit Institution to follow up with the concerned government units and to enforce the orders.

It must be worth noting that, in his first speech, His Majesty stressed the need to restructure the state’s administrative apparatus as one of his top priorities and his plans to improve the working environments in both public and private sector. “It requires revising and developing employment systems in the government sector, adopting new employment systems and policies that grant the government the flexibility and the ability that enable it to achieve optimal use of national resources, expertise and competencies, and to accommodate the largest volume of job seekers, enabling them to join the labour market to secure their stability and meet their expectations,” His Majesty said in his speech delivered on February 23, 2020.