New centre to bring all job services in Oman under one roof

Muscat: Oman is set to establish its first National Centre for Employment (NCE) this year, which will unite all employment services, according to the Implementation Support and Follow-up Unit (ISFU) of Tandfeedh.
The new centre will act as a one-stop centre for job seekers, to unify employment efforts and effectively coordinate the supply and demand of job opportunities in the Sultanate.
The centre has been proposed as a major advancement in merging efforts and coordinate action plans, as it aims to assist the employment process between employers and job seekers, and provide support for both.
Tanfeedh
Regarding the new service, Eng. Mohammed Al Busaidi, Shura Council member and a participant in the Tanfeedh laboratories, said, “The centre is a key factor in addressing the problems of employment in the Sultanate. When all parties met through Tanfeedh to find solutions for job seekers, they all agreed that the main solution in the next stage is establishing a centre for all job seekers, whether searching for employees in the public, private, civil or military sector.”
The labour market laboratories are considered to be one of the most important initiatives in Tanfeedh, said Ahmed Al Khonji, head of part-time, temporary work, and flexible movement of labour at the Ministry of Manpower.
“The existence of such a centre is very important in providing all the important services under one umbrella, to simplify procedures and to legislate them,” Al Khonji added, “It will match and prepare job seeker for entry into the business market with knowledge and qualifications.”
The aim of the centre is to develop and integrate a job seeker classification database, in addition to providing private sector employment training in economic sectors, such as tourism, logistics and manufacturing, and monitoring the status of job seekers after accepting employment.
“Any company that wants to hire an expat must receive a permit from the Ministry of Manpower, once the centre is formed, and will automatically receive such applications and be able to run it through the centre database on Omani job seekers,” Al Busaidi said.
“If an Omani is found to have similar skills as that needed by the company, then the application will be denied and the Omani will be sent for an interview,” Al Busaidi said.
The National Centre for Employment will eliminate many obstacles, due to it being a unified system that will benefit employees, job seekers, investors, and businesses.
The ISFU has initiated various studies into developing the successful operation of the NCE, including a detailed plan that ensures the smooth transition for the Public Authority for Manpower Register to the National Employment Centre.
Saida Al Makhousi, a job seeker, said, “The centre is a step in the right direction to regulate the labour market in Oman, and depending on the competencies assigned to it, we are looking for work.”
“We need institutions that support job seekers to reach the required level in dealing with the labour market, whether it is setting up projects or competing with foreigners in jobs,” she added.