MUSCAT: With Oman lifting the ban on renewing or employing expatriates over the age of 60 in the private sector, the country’s Minister of Labour has clarified the decision that has been widely discussed on social media. 

Speaking to Oman TV in a talk show, His Excellency Professor Mahad Bin Said Bin Ali Baawain had this to say: “If a person is 60 years and is still productive at work, he can be given another five to 10 years rather than giving a job to someone who doesn’t have the experience at all. This is why the rule was removed.” 

However, the decision, according to the Minister of Labour, applies to companies that achieved the “current Omanisation rates, and the profession is not limited to Omanis or there is no room for an Omani to take the job.” 

“As a company, if you have achieved the current Omanisation rates, and the job is not limited to Omanis or there is no room for an Omani to take it, why should I come between the employer and the employee? If he wants to renew (the employee’s contract) at the age of 60..62..65, this is his prerogative,” Baawain said. 

Baawain said the number of expatriates aged over 60-years in Oman’s private sector is between 20,000 to 25,000. 

The Minister also clarified that the decision will not deprive Omani citizens of getting jobs in the private sector. “You know there are about 400-500 Omanis who got retired from the government sector and got jobs in the private sector,” he said.