As more than 30,000 Omanis are employed in the private sector, the Ministry of Manpower announced a six-month extension to the temporary visa ban on expats in Oman working in three different professions.



The Ministry of Manpower has issued three ministerial decisions — Nos. 206/2018, 207/2018, and 208/2018 — to extend the ban on the temporary recruitment of non-Omani manpower to prevent their being hired to work in some businesses, or among those with certain skills.





The decrees have ordered the number of professions temporarily banned from hiring new expat recruits to 95.



Article 1 of Decision No 208/2018 states: “The temporary non-authorisation to recruit non-Omani manpower to private sector enterprises for activities referred to in ministerial decision 122/2014, will continue for another six months starting from July 1, 2018.” The categories listed in ministerial decision No. 122/2014 include carpentry, metal, aluminium workshops, and brick factories. This decision takes effect at the end of a six-month ban, which began on January 1, 2018.

Ministerial Decision No. 207/2018 extends the ban on recruiting non-Omani workers to private sector establishments for professions specified in ministerial decision No. 608/2013 for another six months starting May 31, 2018. The occupations listed in decision No. 608/2013 are salesmen and purchase representatives. This extension has been issued near the end of the six-month ban, which began November 30, 2017.

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Ministerial Decision No. 206/2018 extends the ban on recruiting non-Omani workers in construction and cleaning sectors, as specified in ministerial decision No. 338/2014, for another six months starting from June 1, 2018. This decision comes at the end of a six-month ban which began on December 1, 2017. As of May 14, 32 per cent of all Omanis hired were in the construction sector, followed by wholesale and retail trades, with 14.6 per cent.



These decisions are not related to Ministerial Decision No. 38/2018 issued on January 24, 2018, that temporarily banned recruiting expatriates to 78 jobs. “An update will be issued regarding this decision once the six-month period temporary ban is completed,” an official from the Ministry of Manpower said. Omanisation in the private sector has increased to 12.1 per cent in 2017, from 11.4 per cent in 2015, according to MoM data.