Most popular vacancy this year in the Sultanate? PR

Roles, which are on the hot list for hiring are accountants, finance manager, outdoor sales, business development executives and hospitality professionals

A lot of hiring has been due to accelerated growth in industrial zones, such as Sohar and Duqm, while tenders have already been awarded for operations at the new airport, which is nearing completion

MUSCAT: Vacancies advertised in Oman so far this year have revealed the country is moving steadily away from oil and gas dependence.

Farhat Shaikh, manager at Global HR Solutions and Services, revealed their ‘league table’ of jobs and sectors advertising the most.

Marketing and PR jobs are in huge demand in the Sultanate, representing 16 per cent of the total vacancies, according to data. Engineering is next, at 14 per cent, with sales jobs at 13 per cent and management roles sitting at 12 per cent of the market.

“Roles, which are on the hot list for hiring are accountants, finance manager, outdoor sales, business development executives and hospitality professionals. These jobs remain in demand in Oman and in many other GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries. The beginning of the first quarter was a bit slow, gradually speeding up from the second quarter, with more job opportunities in both the public and private sectors. Job offers and candidate registration statistics have seen a general uplift in demand for candidates across all industry sectors in the last two quarters,” she added.

The public sector still remains the largest producer of jobs in the country, accounting for 38 per cent of the total jobs created. This is followed by the Oil and Gas sector at 32 per cent and Aviation and Aerospace at 22 per cent. A lot of hiring has been due to accelerated growth in industrial zones, such as Sohar and Duqm, while tenders have already been awarded for operations at the new airport, which is nearing completion.

“The airport is expected to begin hiring in the coming months. In- dustrial zones need people to setup multi-million dollar projects. Also, a lot of projects that were held up in 2016 have finally begun giving rise to employment opportunities,” Shaikh stated.

“Major industries, who are aggressively hiring, were into Construction, Banking and Finance, Hospitality, Automobile, Telecom, and Healthcare. The job opportunities in the private sector are expected through the establishment of investment projects that have “economic returns.”

However, employment opportunities in the public sector will be “limited” due to the sharp fall in oil prices and an increase in wages and salaries. With regards to individual skill sets, bi-lingual candidates, who speak Arabic and English, as well as those with both local and international experience in their respective industries, are always highest in demand.”