MUSCAT : In an interview with a local news channel, the Minister revealed that while the RO 400 figure is preferred, the final decision will be subject to further evaluation and negotiation.

“As a government, we tend to favour setting the minimum wage at 400 Omani rials. However, this remains a proposal subject to further evaluation,” His Excellency Dr. Ba’owain stated.

He explained that the proposal will be thoroughly assessed by the Financial and Economic Committee, the Council of Ministers, and all relevant stakeholders before any decision is made.

His Excellency pointed out that the proposed range of RO 360 to RO 400 was determined through collaboration between the technical team of the National Employment Program and the Directorate General of Planning and labour market policies.

This announcement follows previous statements by the Minister at the ‘Together we Progress’ forum last month, where he indicated that the Labour Ministry was studying a move to raise the minimum wage to the same RO 360-400 range. At that forum he stated, “We are currently reviewing the minimum wage. We have sent an initial draft to the Secretariat General of the Council of Ministers. The hike in the minimum wage depends on the average of monthly wages and the annual inflation rate and it may range between RO360 and RO400.”

At present, the minimum wage for Omani workers stands at RO325, irrespective of qualifications. The Minister assured that the proposed wage increase is driven by economic factors rather than a desire to reduce wages. “Our goal is not to reduce wages. This is purely an economic matter based on supply and demand,” he explained.

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