Employment performance indicators across the public and private sectors exceeded the 100 per cent accomplishment rate and stood at 128.6 per cent in 2021, as 41,504 Omanis were recruited in the Sultanate.

This came in an announcement by Dr Mahad Said Ba’Owain, the Minister of Labour, during the annual press conference (held in a video conference) of the Ministry under the theme: ‘Appropriate Work Environment, Productive and Renewable Capabilities’.

Besides reviewing tasks undertaken in 2021, the press conference explored its goals for 2022.

The number of new employees in the private sector in 2021 stood at 49,276. Among those, 42,609 were employed by contract and 6,667 received jobs through employment-linked training, said the minister, adding that the total number of those who benefited from the Job Security Programme in 2021 stood at 10,995.

The minister pointed out that employment-linked training programmes and on-the-job training programmes benefited 9,859 in 2021.

He also noted that a total of 19,097 jobs were announced in the government sector, from which 12,669 were recruited through direct training and replacement of expats, and 6,428 were beneficiaries of training and instruction programmes.

The minister said that 247 trainees passed out after completing a programme called ‘Eitimad’ (translated as ‘endorsement’), which aims at empowering private-sector workers and honing their leadership skills so that they could access high strata jobs.

In 2021, total revenues of the Ministry of Labour stood at RO232.9mn generated from fees of licenses and employment contracts, fines and other sources.

He explained that 57 government establishments have applied ‘Ejada’ – a quantitative system for assessing the performance of individual employees and institutions – from which over 140,000 employees received direct training in devising performance plans.

Through its plan for digital transformation, the Labour Ministry established electronic connection with 30 government departments, which includes 16 suppliers and beneficiaries, nine beneficiaries, and five suppliers.

The Minister explained that the Ministry is drafting its strategic goals and its labour market and employment priorities in line with Oman Vision 2040. He also affirmed that the government is doing its best to ensure the stability of youth in the labour market.

Towards this goal, it negotiated terms with 96 establishments that expressed a desire to terminate the services of national manpower. As a result, a total of 26,161 Omanis were reinstated in their private-sector jobs, he said.

Acting in cooperation with the concerned departments, the Labour Ministry also “totally eradicated” the phenomenon of illegal recruitment of labour, said the minister, adding that the outcome was the departure of 58,720 workers during the grace period granted for adjustment of job status.

In the field of settlement of labour disputes, the Ministry settled 12,175 individual cases and 1,498 group cases. These settlements were achieved in cooperation with the General Federation of Oman Workers (Labour Union).

Speaking about the Ministry’s 2022 targets, Dr Mahad affirmed that the total number of employment opportunities to be provided in 2022 will be 35,000; albeit, it must now be contested by jobseekers, as some of them will “replace expatriates”.

These include 10,000 jobs in the government sector, 5,000 through employment-linked training and on-the-job training, and 14,000 in the private sector, of which 8 per cent is dedicated to managers, specialists and technicians.