The Sultanate of Oman announced yesterday (Tuesday) a plan to create over 32,000 job opportunities during the current year 2021, including 12,000 in the civil and military government sectors according to the actual needs of different agencies. The Oman News Agency stated that this step comes as part of the Sultan Haitham bin Tariq’s keen interest in the employment of Omani youth, emphasizing that youth are the wealth of nations and an inexhaustible resource, and that employment is one of the most important national priorities. This aligns with the ongoing efforts by concerned authorities to employ Omani youth in public and private sector institutions, in addition to supporting self-employed entrepreneurs.
The agency added, "A new set of employment initiatives has been launched, reflecting the government's commitment to providing job opportunities for job seekers and those whose services have been terminated amid the current circumstances related to the ramifications of the global economic situation, which has led to a contraction in labor markets, along with the impacts resulting from the spread of the (COVID-19) pandemic."
The initiatives include providing 2,000 job opportunities in the government sector on a temporary contract basis according to the actual needs of government institutions, one million hours for part-time work in government institutions, subsidizing the salaries of newly entering Omanis into the private sector labor market by 200 Omani rials, with the employer covering the agreed salary difference for 15,000 job opportunities for a period of two years, and disbursing a fixed monthly allowance of 202.500 baisa for six months from the Job Security Fund for self-employed insured individuals affected by the economic situation, totaling around 15,000. A similar amount will be provided for Omani workers whose services have been terminated in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries for the same duration.
In a related context, a responsible government source confirmed to the agency that the government is moving forward with completing the appointment and replacement procedures for the 12,000 specified positions under this year’s employment plan, with 1,000 jobs to be offered monthly in the civil and military government sector until the end of this year.
