Oman’s Ministry of Labor announced a new fee structure that employers must follow when hiring expatriate workers in order to promote nationalization in the country, according to local media reports.
expatriate in a top position under the new structure will cost companies $5197.38 (OMR2,001), while the cost of the license fee for a non-Omani hired in a mid-level position is $2599.99 (OMR1,001),” daily newspaper Times of Oman reported on Wednesday.
Fees have also been attached to other ministry procedures concerning expatriate workers, the Times of Oman said, adding that companies will also be required to pay a fee when their workers switch jobs, and when updating a workers employment status and designation.
Oman announced Sunday it will bar expatriates from certain jobs in an effort to create more employment opportunities for its citizens amid an economic downturn due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“A number of jobs in the private sector will be nationalized,” the Omani labor ministry announced on Twitter on Sunday.
It added the work permits of foreigners in those professions will not be renewed after their expiry date.
Various jobs in insurance companies, shops and car dealerships, including finance, commercial and administrative positions, will be “limited to Omanis only,” the ministry said.
The country’s Minister of Labor, Dr. Mahad Ba’owain, disclosed that the recent Omanization decisions would help create greater job opportunities for Omanis, according to the report.
Oman’s private sector is projected to take in 70 percent of Omani job seekers and the public sector to take in the remaining 30 percent, Ba’owain said.
He added that the decisions made were in line with Oman’s Vision 2040, the country’s 10th five-year plan to address job market challenges and to support the government’s strategy towards digitalization.
In an interview with Oman TV, the minister said, “Most of the current plans do take Omanization into account, so we expect that these decisions will create approximately 15,000 to 20,000 jobs for those seeking employment. This will be based on the actual employment needs of the country. The ministry’s role is to find sustainable employment for the existing numbers of job seekers in the sectors our country currently has. There are also upcoming initiatives in specialized sectors of our economy, such as education and healthcare. There are also professions in which Omanis will soon replace foreign workers, and updates on this will be announced in a timely manner.”
The government is currently collaborating with the private sector, Omani job seekers and the General Federation of Oman Workers to devise initiatives and find jobs through which they could make a difference in the current climate.
“The COVID-19 pandemic came after a period of economic stagnation that lasted for four or five years, and its impact is equal to what we felt during these years,” added Ba’owain.
“The economic downturn caused by the coronavirus has not just created major problems in terms of generating employment, but also in terms of laying people off. The ministry is trying to not lay off the national workforce, although we have about 300 companies who together employ about 70,000 workers demanding the dismissal and demobilization of Omanis.”
According to the minister, the ministry has prevented this from happening as much as possible and has taken decisions to help retain employees. In addition to this, the government is working on temporary contracts for short-term and part-time work to help provide people with better and more flexible opportunities.
“Hope to solve the issues around job seekers in the next two or three years, but it is important that they too look for work seriously and improve their skills and experiences where necessary if they are to be employed,” Ba’owain said
Kiwis urged to have Australian working holiday Regional sectors smashed by coronavirus have received a boost, with the government urging Kiwis to fill temporary vacancies this summer. - Finn McHugh NCA NewsWire DECEMBER 10, 2020 12:00PM
New Zealanders are being urged to have a working holiday in Australia this summer in a bid to fill gaping employment holes in major tourist areas.
Tourism Australia has launched a campaign encouraging Kiwis to make a trip across the ditch as the economy reels from the impact of COVID-19.
The agriculture, tourism and hospitality sectors rely heavily on seasonal workers to fill labour shortages in areas like fruit picking, farm labour and pub work.
But the pandemic has more than halved the number of working holiday makers (WHMs) since December last year.
The government is urging Kiwis to fill temporary employment gaps in industries hit hard by COVID-19. Picture: James Morgan / Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images
Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said the coronavirus had left those sectors in the lurch.
“The necessary closure of our international borders has been critical in the fight against COVID-19. However, it has meant that industries that are usually reliant on seasonal workers or working holiday makers are struggling to fill thousands of jobs,” he said.
“Whilst our priority is always getting Australians to fill jobs, the reality is that many businesses within our agricultural, tourism and hospitality sectors are still battling to find enough workers.”
The government said the resumption of quarantine-free flights from New Zealand in October gave an opportunity to fill holes in Australia’s workforce.
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said New Zealanders helping to prop up Australian industries would be welcomed with open arms.
The number of temporary working holiday makers has more than halved since 2019 because of COVID-19. Picture: Sue GrahamSource:News Corp Australia
“There are plenty of agricultural jobs just ripe for the picking in regional and rural Australia this year, and our farmers will be forever grateful for the helping hand from across the Tasman,” he said
“In the bush our Kiwi cousins have a reputation for being fun loving and hardworking, and we will welcome them to come and enjoy our country hospitality, have a go and make a quid as well.”
The government estimates Australian fruit and vegetable farmers need an extra 26,000 workers to harvest crops this summer. It said WHMs injected more than $3.2bn into the economy every year.
The October budget included measures to encourage WHMs to take up short-term agriculture work, including reimbursing them for up to $2000 to cover transport and accommodation costs.
Singapore is 8th most attractive country to relocate to for work: Survey
But the report also noted on Wednesday (March 17) that fewer Singaporeans desire to work abroad.
The study, which polled around 208,800 respondents across 190 countries, found that the pandemic has changed people’s views on the top work destinations as virus containment measures become a priority.
Singapore jumped to eighth place, from 24th in 2014. Canada topped the list, followed by the United States, Australia, Germany and Britain.
“When it comes to employee relocation, several Asia-Pacific countries, such as Singapore and New Zealand, have become the preferred choices of talent in 2020,” said the report compiled by online employment marketplace Seek Asia, The Network and Boston Consulting Group.
“This is likely due to the countries’ management of Covid-19, which have largely registered low mortality rates and kept infection cases in check.”
Since the fourth quarter of last year, there has been an average growth of 28 per cent in job openings across Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam compared with the second quarter of last year, according to JobStreet, of which Seek Asia is the parent company.
Besides good pandemic management, Singapore’s competitiveness is also a selling point for talent, the report said.
“Other than robust international trade and investment, Singapore’s digital infrastructure, national stability and culture of innovation also inspire confidence,” it added.
The report noted that professionals, managers, executives and technicians from China, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Switzerland, for instance, are keen to come to Singapore to work as the standard of living here is comparable with their home countries.
OCBC Bank head of treasury research and strategy Selena Ling said: “Singapore has had good containment of coronavirus cases, excellent healthcare facilities and free vaccination.
“But a downside could be the perceived tightening of foreign manpower restrictions.”
Seek Asia chief executive Peter Bithos said the pandemic has also created a new kind of “virtual mobility”, where staff can work remotely from a different country.
Around 57 per cent of respondents said they were willing to work remotely for an employer that does not have a physical presence in their home country.
“For hirers who are struggling to fill job openings, the time is ripe to warm up to the option of offering virtual employment, so as to attract competent and suitable talent,” said Mr Bithos.
This trend also goes in tandem with a sharp decline in the willingness of job seekers to physically work abroad.
This is because of restrictions and uncertainty due to the pandemic and the emergence of virtual work where it becomes less necessary to move overseas to find jobs, the report said.
Only 44 per cent of Singaporean respondents now want to work abroad, compared with 79 per cent in 2014.
Ms Ling said: “This may not be a long-term trend. It depends on when borders reopen and when vaccination passports gain traction. There are also policies encouraging local firms and workers to internationalise and gain international exposure.”
Australia still remains the preferred work destination for Singaporeans, followed by China, Taiwan and New Zealand, the report found.