Oman’s Ministry of Labour has disclosed that more than 245,000 private sector establishments employ over 1.1 million expatriates while failing to include a single Omani national on their payrolls.
The data highlights the deep disparities in Omanisation, the national policy aimed at integrating Omani citizens into the workforce, across the private sector.
While a small number of large companies maintain relatively high Omanisation rates, the overwhelming majority of businesses continue to operate without employing any citizens, despite operating in and benefiting from the Sultanate’s economic environment.
According to the Ministry’s breakdown, approximately 1,000 large institutions employ around 200,000 Omanis alongside 245,000 expatriates, yielding an Omanisation rate of 44 per cent.
In contrast, nearly 19,000 establishments employ 60,000 Omanis versus 300,000 foreign workers, a rate of just 17 percent.
The most striking figures, however, come from the remaining 245,000 businesses, accounting for the vast majority of private sector entities, which collectively employ over 1.1 million expatriates but no Omani workers at all, resulting in a 0 per cent Omanisation rate.
“This imbalanced structure undermines the goals of sustainable national employment and limits opportunities for citizens in their own country,” the ministry said.
It stressed that while some sectors and small enterprises may face challenges in hiring local talent, the overall model, in which thousands of businesses function entirely without Omanis, is no longer tenable.
In response, the Ministry of Labour has introduced a new regulatory policy requiring all establishments that have completed at least one year of commercial activity to employ at least one Omani national.
The policy is accompanied by a framework of incentives and a flexible implementation mechanism tailored to the size and sector of each business.
