Expat jobs drop in construction sector

The CBO report points out that in total the momentum of employment generation in the private sector witnessed a slowdown at 9 per cent in 2016 against an average growth of 10.3 per cent during the previous five years.

“Nevertheless, the number of Omanis employed in the private sector is steadily rising and has exceeded the same level in the public sector in recent years”, says the report.

The expatriate employment in the sector stood at 8.3 per cent and 9.3 per cent in 2015 and 2016.

According to the report, the share of ‘manufacturing’ went up to 12.3 per cent in 2016 from 11.6 per cent in 2015, while the share of ‘private household with employed persons’ in total expatriate workers in private sector remained unchanged at the same level at 10.9 per cent in 2016 and 2015. The share of ‘hotel and restaurants’ and ‘real estate and renting business’ registered increases of 6.3 per cent and 5.1 per cent in 2016, respectively from 6.1 per cent and 4.9 per cent in 2015.

“These six sectors together accounted for about 85 per cent of the total employment of expatriates in the private sector”, the apex bank said in the 2016 report.

However, the growth of expatriate employment in private sector in 2016 was the highest in ‘ transport, storage and communication’ with 36.7 per cent, followed by ‘other community, social and personal services activities’ with 22.1 per cent, ‘wholesale and retail trade’ 17.3 per cent and ‘manufacturing’ 16.0 per cent.