Oman bans expats from working in ten industries

Oman has issued a six-month ban on the private sector recruitment of expats in ten industries in a bid to encourage the employment of Omanis.

The sultanate's Minister of Manpower, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Bakri, issued the new regulations on Sunday and they will begin with immediate effect.

The ban on work visas for foreign nationals will affect the sectors of information systems, sales, marketing, administration, human resources, insurance, media, airports, engineering and technical professions.

Visas issued before the new regulations came into effect will remain valid until their expiry date.

The new regulations come after demonstrations last week by unemployed youths calling for more job opportunities.

There were nearly 60,000 unemployed university graduates in 2017, according to the Ministry of Manpower.

The visa ban "would help companies to create vacancies for Omanis who are looking for jobs," minister al-Bakri told The National.

Last year the Omani government launched efforts to create 25,000 new jobs in a bid to reduce high employment.