Muscat: As part of its efforts to develop the work environment, simplify procedures for employers, and ensure that licences correspond to the workers’ residence tenure in Oman, the Ministry of Labour has initiated a package of reforms to enhance the relationship between the employer and the worker, safeguard their rights, and reduce violations, without affecting domestic worker recruitment fees.
So far, all procedures related to domestic workers' recruitment remain unchanged to preserve the rights of both the worker and the employer, and to ensure that neither families nor employers bear any additional costs.
It reflects the Ministry’s keenness to protect the interests of all parties and facilitate access to essential services in an organised and secure manner, while adhering to the laws and regulations in force, thereby ensuring greater stability in the labour market and effective organisation of the hiring process.
The decision includes exemptions for persons with disabilities, elderly individuals who are unable to care for themselves, family income support beneficiaries, and persons whose health condition requires special medical care, from paying licence fees when hiring a domestic worker, nanny, private driver, private nurse, or home health assistant.
This approach reflects the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening social solidarity and ensuring that support and essential services reach the most needy groups, embodying the State’s humanitarian responsibility to protect individual rights and enable them to receive the necessary care.
This exemption also helps reduce the financial burden on families and enables them to provide essential care and services to their members in an organised and secure manner.
The package also includes an extension of work license validity, as the validity period of the work permit and the work practice licence for non-Omani workers has been extended from 15 months to 24 months, in response to employers’ demands and to align licenses with the workers’ residence period.
This measure reduces administrative and financial burdens, provides longer-term stability for employers in planning their human resources, and contributes to more efficient and effective labour management.
Employers are now also able to amend the occupation stated in the work practice license from a lower category to a higher category by paying only the difference in fees, without the need to issue a new licence.
This facilitates procedures, reduces administrative bureaucracy, and enhances flexibility in the labour market.
The decision also includes support for community institutions, as the work licence fees for employing non-Omani workers in certain civil society and humanitarian institutions have been reduced from OMR141 to OMR101, in support of their social and humanitarian role and in reinforcement of partnership and social responsibility.
In addition, licence fees have been reduced by 30% for employers who comply with the prescribed Omanisation rates, while fees will be doubled in cases of non-compliance, as an incentive to promote the employment of Omani nationals and achieve Omanisation goals in the labour market.
The package also includes facilities for the payment of fees and delay fines, where a ceiling has been set for the delay fines related to licence renewal or worker data registration so that they do not exceed OMR500 per worker.
This measure helps alleviate financial burdens on employers and encourages them to rectify workers’ statuses promptly.
The procedures also include exemptions from fees and fines in specific cases, such as when a worker files a labour complaint after the expiry of their contract, the worker’s death, change of visa, or departure from the Sultanate of Oman.
This ensures that the employer-worker relationship is regulated in accordance with the provisions of the Labour Law and maintains a balance between rights and obligations.
The decision further clarifies the cases in which licence fees may be refunded, allowing employers and individuals to either recover the fees or issue a new licence for a nominal fee of one (1) Omani rial per worker, in cases such as the worker failing the medical examination, non-approval of the visa issuance by the Royal Oman Police, worker’s death, the worker’s repatriation within 90 days, transfer of the worker’s services within 90 days (once only), death of the employer, or cancellation of the license due to administrative or technical reasons.
The decision also grants exemption from delay fines for employers in specific cases, such as the employer’s death, discovery of a chronic illness in the worker during the medical examination, seizure of the worker’s passport by government authorities or embassies, bankruptcy of the establishment, liquidation of the establishment, or imprisonment of the worker. These measures reflect consideration for the circumstances of employers and help ease their financial burdens.
These measures come within the framework of the Ministry of Labour’s comprehensive strategy aimed at developing the labour system in the Sultanate, improving the efficiency of the labour market, enhancing the work environment, and reinforcing compliance with laws.
This contributes to achieving sustainable economic and social growth, safeguarding workers’ rights, and supporting employers—while emphasising the humanitarian and social dimensions and supporting the most vulnerable groups, particularly the elderly, to ensure that services and support reach them effectively and safely.
