Continuous training to cope with the market needs:
Unemployment issue is a concern for all in the sultanate and it is the responsibility of all: jobseeker, government and private entities. Government and private sector should all work on a clear replacement and Omanization plan by training jobseekers. Thus, Omanis gain the required skills and are ready to replace the expat who should be under limited duration and unrenewable employment contract.
Facilitating foreign investment by simplifying the legislations, administrative procedures will contribute positively to creating more jobs.Jobseekers should not depend too much on the government to get a job; they should explore and develop their skills continuously to cope with the local and international market demands. Some Omani youths are very competent and able to compete in the local and international market. Many jobseekers have the desire and the competncies to create thier own business which will contribute to the Omani market. Government and private entities encourages them through training and giving them finacncial support to start their business; SMEs fund, AL-Zubair for SMEs, AL-Rafdh fund, The Omani IT fund, and others.
Laila AL-Hadi
Senior Recritemnt at Kayan Constructionm Oman, ASAS
Complications and biocracy
The Sulatante is suffering from a big number of graduates; recruitment is slow and vacancies are low because of the population growth and the lack of local and foregin investemnt in the country. Facilitating investment is very crucial to attract investors and it create jobs and encourages graduates to open thier own SMEs. Nowadays, there are good investemnt requests in Duqum but still there are issues of biocracy and complications facing the investors. This can be easly resolved through aligemnts between the concerned ministries and support projects like providing gas and electricity supply. Lack of these essential supplies hindered many projects.
Asad AL-Tobi
HR manager, Oman Drydock
Linking employemnt with the finacial status of entitites
I will share my humble opinion through my long expereince in governemnt and private entitites to solve unemployment issue. I worked for Omantel for 16 years and the last position was Assets manager, the Water and electricity Authority as finance control manager, Advanced Oilfield Technology as senior manager of the comany services and currently as HR manager in the Oman development Bank. I observed the difference of working enviroment in the private and government sector and came with these conclusions:
1. Study the finacial status of the private and government entitites to use a perecntage of the profits to employ jobseekers so that will not affect the company’s business and the current employees.
2. Do not link the labour clearances with Omanization as it might cuase finacial loss and therefore release Omani workers. Better to force 50% contiubtion of the profit to be used for supporting SMEs funds entitites fund like the development bank and Rafadh.
3. Some companies suffer from Omani youth who are not interested in fieldwork. They just sign and leave to get the monthly salary. This makes the companies not inteested to recuit and they consider these workers extra cost so they depend on expact workers. Therefore, MOM should intervene to change labour law and give the freedom to the employer to dismiss this type of employees immediately and imped harsh punishment like forbidding these people from getting a job for a certain period.
4. Change the current atricles of labour law as many of them for the employees which hindder the employer from taking actions against the unserious employees.
5. In case of the resignation or dismissal, the employer should replace within 3 months or get a financial fine counted by the vacancy duration.
Muath Al Balushi
HR manager, Oman Development Bank
