Swedish home furnishings giant, IKEA, is contributing to the local Omani economy by creating numerous job opportunities for the opening of its first store in the Sultanate of Oman.

The retailer has stated that it received over 48,000 applications to fill various roles across different departments and positions with a focus on equal opportunities to bring balance into the workplace. IKEA’s focus on Omani hires aligns with Oman Vision 2040 which aims to diversify and build a sustainable economy to enable growth; integrating roles and creating equal work opportunities for men and women

To support the vision, IKEA has launched several training and development programmes for its co-workers locally including its resident programme, Valkommen. These programmes will provide all co-workers access to best practices regionally and across the global IKEA network to support the upskilling and reskilling of the nation’s talent.

The resident programme is an introduction to the IKEA concept and includes several levels of the onboarding programme that instils and builds the IKEA culture and value system across the workforce.

IKEA also offers role-based development, which allows the co-workers to develop in their current roles to offer the right support and advice to customers in-store on their home furnishing journey.

Additionally, IKEA will invest in the personal development of its co-workers, with each co-worker being given a detailed plan on how they can further strengthen their skills.

Vinod Jayan, the Managing Director of Al-Futtaim IKEA Oman, UAE, Egypt and Qatar said: “As outlined in vision 2040, Oman’s private sector is a key contributor towards the country’s economic expansion and social development. The recent hiring of Omani nationals for IKEA’s first store in the country is another step towards this vision.

“With a strong focus on equal employment, diversification and inclusion [are] at the heart of our corporate policy. For example, the first-ever female forklift operator across our territories is hired for this store. By hiring the right mix of talent, we are opening doors to a wide range of ideas, skills, resources and energies, giving the business a competitive edge.”

Al-Futtaim IKEA uses multiple professional development platforms to contribute to the growth of its co-workers. For the opening, the Swedish retailer spent 55,000 hours training the co-workers and preparing them to successfully face challenges on the floor.

All co-workers can qualify for any of these programmes based on their assessment by their managers. For the opening, the Swedish retailer spent 55,000 hours training the co-workers and preparing for the challenges on the floor.

“At IKEA, every job and every day is different. It takes many roles such as Operations Manager, Interior designers, Visual Merchandisers, Food and Beverage Manager, Sales Leaders and Shopkeepers to create a better everyday life for the many people. Our co-workers are at the heart of our corporate well-being, and we are committed to their personal and professional development. Our aim is to provide a holistic working environment and experience to our co-workers in Oman,” he added.

As the region’s leading home furnishing retailer, IKEA strives to offer its co-workers a modern and functional workplace that creates a comfortable and fun environment. It emphasizes IKEA’s origin and identity of being open, simple and innovative.

Small and cosy creative spaces are designed in the store office to inspire co-workers and give them the space to ‘think out of the box’. Co-workers can also enjoy fresh and healthy subsidized meal options at the co-workers’ restaurant.

Al-Futtaim IKEA will continue to support the local economy and create opportunities for nationals and expats alike to be part of its growing business in the country and cultivate an enriching work environment, where co-workers can learn and grow.