Muscat, The Ministry of Labour today held a meeting with governors with the aim of discussing the mechanism of employment in the public and private sectors, investment in Oman’s governorates, ways to localize professions and the challenges facing the governorates in these areas.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Dr. Mahad Said Ba’owain, Minister of Labour, said that the ministry sought to provide 35,000 jobs during 2022 in the public and private sectors and realized more than 100% of job occupancy in the target segments.
The minister told Oman News Agency (ONA) that the number of jobseekers who joined the labour market for the first time crossed the 20,000 mark. He added that the number of employees who availed the Benefit of Job Security increased by about 3,000 in 2022, compared to 2021.
Sheikh Nasr Amer Al Hosani, Labour Undersecretary, said, “The meeting seeks to familiarize the governors with the ministry’s policy, its plans for next year and the requirements of employment in each governorate.”
The ministry explained that the number of jobseekers till the end of October 2022 stood at more than 85,000.
The meeting elaborated on the employment programme and initiatives through mechanisms that were espoused right from the beginning, as well as the pertaining challenges.
The programme also covered the system of individual and institutional performance proficiency, mechanisms for implementing the training programmes, the initiatives presented by the Training Support Centre, the National System for Capacity Building and Talent Management, and the tasks of Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-up Unit’s office.
Each governor shared a vision that targets his governorate—an initiative that the governor intends to incorporate in the Omani economy.
The meeting includes a session of discussion between the governors and officials of the Ministry of Labour to outline the challenges facing each governor. The discussions aim to explain the views of the ministry’s officials through a vision that explores the plans of the ministry and its concepts in decision making in accordance with the overall National Vision.
During the meeting, a new application named “Ma’ak” (With You) was launched, which targets the concerns of jobseekers, the national workforce and employers. In its first version, the app provides more than 11 electronic services for jobseekers. Other services will be added later to serve the three abovementioned segments.
Fahd Khalfan Al Batashi, Assistant Director General of Planning for Information Technology and head of the Digital Transformation Team at the Ministry of Labour, said that the “Ma’ak” app for smart phones constitutes the second channel for the ministry’s electronic services. The current stage targets the services of individual beneficiaries from among jobseekers and the national workforce. In the next phase, the app will include the services rendered to employers (individuals and establishments), Omani and non-Omani workforce.
Al Batashi added that the most important target services for employers include submitting requests for initial approval of work permits (work licenses), registering and cancelling reports on vacating jobs, registering applications for refunding ticket prices, registering requests for obtaining work contracts, registering applications for new projects, registering applications for employment and amending labour force data, among other services.
The application also provides a jobseeker with search options for vacant jobs, based on the educational level, gender, geographical location details (the governorate, the wilayat) and acceptance of employment contracts offered to national jobseekers.
During the meeting, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion affirmed that, since March 2022, the number of economic activities prohibited for foreign investment in Omani governorates stood at 78.
The meeting was held within the context of exchanging views with officials and engaging in meaningful decision making that response to the decentralization policy, given its significance in advancing the national economy.
This meeting also sought to contribute to upgrading the vision of the governors as they endeavour to promote their respective governorates.
Source: Oman News Agency