EXPATRIATES IN OMAN

On the back of ban on recruitment to several professions, the biggest demographic change is seen in the number of educated expatriates working in the Sultanate.

According to data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), there has been an across-the-board fall in expatriates with education above secondary level during the period from January 2018 to the same month this year.

This is amid a decline of 3.7 per cent in the total number of foreigners working in the Sultanate to reach 1,782,248 in the 12-month period.

While the highest decline of 7.8 per cent is registered in the number of higher diploma holders, those with Masters’ degree dropped by 6.4 per cent during the period.

Similarly, university graduates witnessed a fall of 5.8 per cent, followed by diploma holders 4 per cent. The number of foreign workers with secondary education stood at 233,513 from 234,918 a year before.

Experts in the human resources sector attribute job uncertainty as the major reason for many educated expatriates opting to leave the country.

“With the government decision to freeze hiring of expatriate workers to a number of high profile professions has made a big impact on the job market,” said Ahmed al Balushi, a human resource manager with a finance company.

In addition to this, opined Ahmed, many companies, “as part of their cost cutting measures, are reducing the headcounts”.

Ahmed said that the government’s recent decision to ban recruitment of expatriates to a number of professions will further reduce the expatriate numbers in the country.

The number of expat employees in the government sector declined by 2.7 per cent to reach 57,477 in January this year from 57,734 in the same month last year.

In the private sector, the number dropped by 4.5 per cent to reach 1,430,055 from 1,435,153 during the period.