National Employment Programme launches self-employment platform

FREELANCING IS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING EMPLOYMENT PATHS IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD, AS THE SULTANATE OF OMAN PAYS SPECIAL ATTENTION TO DEVELOPING THE SELF-EMPLOYMENT SYSTEM AS ONE OF THE CAREER PATHS THAT HAS BECOME ATTRACTING THE INTEREST OF YOUNG PEOPLE.

The National Employment Programme launched a selfemployment platform yesterday in collaboration with AWJ Innovation and Occidental Oman. The platform, Dot Next Gig (.Nxt Gig), will allow self-employed individuals to connect with potential clients and aid in facilitating transactions.

“Freelancing is one of the fastest growing employment paths in various countries of the world, as the Sultanate of Oman pays special attention to developing the self-employment system as one of the career paths that is attracting the interest of young people, as is the case in many countries of the world,” shared Azhar al Kindi, Executive Director of the National Employment Programme.

“Self-employment is one of the initiatives launched by the National Employment Programme in partnership with the concerned authorities with the aim of providing integrated and interrelated facilities for self-employed individuals in the Sultanate of Oman,” he added.

According to Al Kindi, freelancers will be able to create official accounts and conduct transactions from a business to business standpoint, a matter that will better help facilitate and legitimise transactions. In addition, he shared some of the programme’s upcoming incentives for freelancers which will include wage subsidies during the first year, social protection benefits, and a Riyada card.

“We are working with the General Secretariat of the Tender Board and the Oman Investment Authority to allocate 10 per cent of tenders and contracts to freelancers. And we are also negotiating with banks to facilitate the matter of personal financing for self-employed individuals.”

“As a result, it was necessary to create a database of self-employed individuals. The ‘dot-next-gig’ platform serves as an enabling and supporting platform for the selfemployment system.”

Chief Executive Officer of AWJ Innovation, Dr Yousef al Balushi, shared “the independent work economy is recording remarkable development all over the world, especially in countries that have an advanced digital infrastructure, and the launch of the ‘.Nextgig’ platform and related services is in line with the global trend towards the independent work economy, and the local trend to diversify business patterns in the Sultanate of Oman.”

“The platform aims to support and encourage the culture of independent work and temporary and part-time jobs in the Sultanate of Oman, and to enhance the role of the independent work economy in diversifying the community economy and improving the income of individuals,” he added.