Oman to ban firms that don’t meet Omanisation targets from hiring foreign staff

Oman is continuing a crackdown on firms that fail to hire enough citizens but introducing an online traffic light system for recruitment.

Times of Oman reports that the system, being rolled out by the Ministry of Manpower, will inform employers immediately if they have met their Omanisation quota.

A green light will signal the ability to hire foreigners, with a red light indicating that recruitment will be stalled until sufficient Omani’s are hired to meet a set quota, which depends on the industry.

Yellow will indicate the company’s Omanisation policy is unclear to the ministry and requires further clarification.

The system will ensure private sector firms are unable to get around rules requiring a certain percentage of their workforce to be Omani.

Those that fail to comply will be unable to hire for the whole of 2019.

“The system depends on the Omanisation index of the private establishments. If they achieve the maximum Omanisation rate, the licence application will go directly to the accreditation stage,” a ministry spokesperson told the publication.

The system comes under wider plans to launch a new version of a commercial permit service, which will be linked to various government institutions including the tax office.

It was reported earlier this week that unemployment among Omani nationals had fallen following a series of hiring bans enacted and extended this year.

Read: Oman sees unemployment among citizens fall after expat hiring bans

Private sector firms are currently unable to hire foreign workers for dozens of professions in a bid to increase the employment of Omanis.