Thursday 26 / December / 2024
Muscat: Oman’s decision to create 25,000 new jobs for young jobseekers as directed by the Council of Ministers has been hailed as historic move by members of the Majlis Al Shura.
Read here: 25,000 jobs to be created for Omanis, says Council of Ministers
“This is a historic day, moreover, this is a chance for Omanis to prove themselves of being capable to do these jobs,” added Ahmed Al Barwani, member of the Shura Council member and vice chairman of the Youth and Human Resources Committee.
Khalid bin Hilal Al Maawali, Chairman of the Shura Council, said “Private sector institutions have the largest role in carrying out their national responsibility in giving jobs and providing a suitable working environment.
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The directives of the Council are consistent with the requirements of the current phase and meet the needs of young people by providing them with career opportunities.”
The chairman added that job seekers must make the most of the job opportunities and not waste them
On Wednesday, October 4, the nation’s Council of Ministers had pledged to create another 25,000 jobs for Omani job-seekers.
“The Council of Ministers, during its recent session held on 3rd of October 2017, decided to provide jobs for 25,000 Omanis in the state’s public and private establishments, as a first stage to begin in December 2017,” said the council in a statement, following a year-long study on the issue of employment, as directed by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
The study led to a number of decisions to support local job-seekers, the final product of which has been to embark on the plan to enable the nation to create and offer these 25,000 jobs across both the private and public sectors.
The decision by the Council of Ministers has been welcomed by Otbah Al Harmali, training manager for the SME Development Fund, who said: “I think this is a step in the right direction, because we all know that Omanis need jobs, especially in the private sector. Omanis now have the desire to work hard and find respectable jobs, so I think this is very necessary.”
“In the future, I am 100 per cent sure there will be more job creation, but Omani people now need to prove themselves so that they are worthy of getting these jobs,” he added. “They cannot turn down a job because of odd working hours or family commitments. With economic diversification through Tanfeedh coming in and the government looking to start more SMEs, there will definitely be more jobs.”
“Jobs creation is a good thing but sustaining the job is another thing,” added Madhu GN, associate vice president (Strategy) at Al Siraj Holdings. “That will require development in mindset and skills of people. I think there are several vacancies that can be filled by Omanis like tourist guides, for example. But for this there is a need for a mindset shift, which is coming. It may take another year, but it will be here. I think the retail and services sector is where this employment can be created in Oman.”
The council had also promised action against private sector establishments that do not cooperate with the government’s Omanisation drive.
“The Council of Ministers has urged private sector establishments to accord maximum priority to Omanisation in their programmes and projects, noting that there are actions to be taken against the establishments, which do not cooperate with the efforts of the government in its strive to support employment and Omanisation policies,” the government said.
In addition, they have been working throughout the year to arrive at a suitable and sustainable solution to all aspects of unemployment.
“The topic of job seekers was and has always been present on the agenda of the Council of Ministers,” the government said, with Al Barwani adding, “My message to all is not to rush, not everything is constantly published, they must trust that there are competent authorities that exist to work on such issues.”
The Council of Ministers also approved a set of ‘executive steps,’ which will be carried out concurrently with the first stage of the employment plan. These aim towards providing suitable conditions that will enable the government to continue to absorb more job seekers in line with its plans and programmes aimed at achieving the overall objective.
The decision has been welcomed by many Omani job seekers. “I feel happy and optimistic, especially that the news came after a long period of silence from the officials; this was expected from His Majesty since he always intervenes wisely to solve any problems,” said a 27-year-old Omani job seeker.
“The last decision is going to cover 40 per cent of Omani job seekers, and a large category of the Omani economy and the presence of a proportion of young graduates of the various supporting certificates needed by the market during this period,” said another citizen.
