MUSCAT : The decision mandates private institutions and companies with a commercial registration older than one year to employ at least one Omani citizen.

The meeting reviewed details of the decision, its justifications, and the goals it seeks to achieve, foremost among which is creating more job opportunities for citizens.

His Excellency Al Ghamari emphasised that the policy is part of broader government efforts to regulate the labour market and boost national employment, while considering the realities of Oman’s diverse economic sectors.

Discussions also touched on the mechanisms for replacing expatriate workers with citizens, statistics on the number of establishments targeted by this new directive, and the potential for phased implementation across targeted sectors, rather than applying the requirement uniformly across all industries at once.

During the session, committee members raised several observations and public concerns, particularly regarding the readiness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to comply with the new regulation. They stressed the importance of institutional integration between the various state agencies, in order to reach well-considered decisions that take into account the needs and requirements of the labour market, and at the same time reflect the aspirations and interests of citizens.

The committee also stressed the need to prepare a comprehensive media plan to explain the details of the decision to the public. This is aimed at ensuring that the right message reaches the community and dispels any concerns that may arise as a result of misunderstanding or lack of information about the decision’s objectives and consequences.

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