Thursday 12 / June / 2025
Muscat: Expatriates working in domestic industries and services in Oman send most of their salaries home.
According to the National Centre of Statistics and Information (NCSI), the April 2018 survey stated that domestic workers make up more than 294,000 of the total population in the Sultanate, an increase from the 2017 NCSI report.
Mohammed Ji Ripunmiah, 40, is a plumber from Bangladesh and has been living in Oman for the past 10 years. He earns OMR180-200 per month and lives with five other workers in a room provided by the company.
A father of three children, Ripunmiah sends OMR150 back home every month for his children’s education. He said he saves around OMR20-50 for his expenses. He added, “I go to the market once in a while and buy a few clothes and something to eat.”
Ripunmiah works six days a week and gets an off on Fridays. “On Fridays, I visit the mosque to pray. At times, my friends and I go for an outing,” he said.
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“Sometimes, I send my entire salary to my family back home,” said Yasmin, a cleaner from Bangladesh. Yasmin, 35, earns OMR90 per month through a company with provision for accommodation, bedding, meals and clothes. “We are five in a room,” she said.
The mother of a girl who is studying Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA), Yasmin, sometimes, sends her entire income back home to support her family and for her daughter’s education. She said, “In times of need, I save OMR20-40 for myself.” She spends this amount on personal needs such as toiletries, clothes, footwear and phone cards. She calls her family every day without fail. “Once in two years, I get leave for two months to visit my home in Bangladesh,” she said.
Yasmin works six days a week and for 12 hours per day. She gets an off on Fridays, but she stays in her room. She said, “If required, I go out, otherwise I stay at home. I don’t eat out or visit the cinema.”
“I save some of my income for my wedding,” said Saphiulla, a 27-year-old Indian bachelor.
A tea boy and part-time cleaner by profession, he earns OMR62.5 through his company. With overtime, it adds up to OMR100-110 per month. In addition, the company provides accommodation, meals, transportation and medical facilities.
Remittance
He makes a living with OMR40-45. Saphiulla said, “I send OMR63-64 to my family back home in Uttar Pradesh. If necessary, I send money every month, but if I’m unable to send money one month, I add the money to the next month’s amount and send a lump sum.”
“On my days off, we go to Ruwi, sip on a cup of tea and visit the mosque for prayers. Once in two months, my friends and I go to the movies,” he said.
Arun Kumar, a 32-year-old Indian, has been an office support staff at a company in Oman since 2008. He earns a salary of OMR120-150 per month with accommodation, meals and transportation. “I have a wife and a child back in Kerala. I send OMR100 to them every month,” he said.
He saves OMR20 for expenses such as food, necessities such as soaps, pens, and on phone calls. “I don’t go out that often. On Fridays, I stay in my room. Once or twice a month, my roommates and I go for an outing or walk to the temple in the evenings.”
“I work the entire week from 7am to 8pm, including Fridays and Saturdays, with no day off,” said Krishnappa Pujari, 32.
Pujari is a tea boy by profession. He is from Karnataka, India, and has been living in Oman for 11 years. He said, “My company gives me OMR110-120 per month. It also pays for my meals and my travel back home.”
Overtime
He said he works on all days of the week despite getting an off on the weekends, during which he works overtime for five hours.
Married with no children, Pujari sends OMR85-90 to his family back home. He said, “I send the money to my mother’s bank account whenever she needs it, not on a monthly basis. This money is used for all the household expenses and my family’s needs.”
He saves OMR30 for himself and spends it on personal necessities such as soap, oil and the like. “My friends and I go for an outing to Ghala and Ghubra twice a month,” he added.
