Wednesday 21 / January / 2026
Muscat: The Ministry of Labour reviewed its most prominent achievements and initiatives during a media briefing, while discussing future directions for the labour market and human resources development in line with national priorities and the requirements of sustainable development.
The ministry reported that in 2025, a total of 36,413 job opportunities were provided, in addition to 15,069 employment opportunities through training linked to employment and replacement programs.
In the area of employment governance, 18 sectoral committees announced the availability of 13,000 job opportunities. Within the freelance work system, 2,300 professions were registered, and more than 4,000 Omanis were employed in technical and leadership positions.
Regarding efforts related to negotiations on terminated employment cases, the Economic Committee succeeded in retaining 713 cases during 2025. In follow-up efforts on employment and professional status, contracts of 2,146 individuals were renewed. Through negotiations, 4,388 cases were retained, while 660 beneficiaries received support under the Job Security Benefit scheme.
The ministry noted that more than 141,000 establishments are registered under the Wage Protection System, with over 91,000 establishments demonstrating compliance.
In institutional performance, the ministry recorded a 95 percent improvement in performance results under the Individual Performance Excellence System within the Human Resources Development sector. Additionally, 48 unitsimplemented administrative practices, studies, and research as part of the Institutional Innovation and Change Management System.
The Ejada (Excellence) System for measuring individual and institutional performance has been implemented by 67 government units, alongside the delivery of more than 150 workshops and awareness sessions on institutional excellence.
The ministry also highlighted the implementation of more than 150 innovation projects and development initiatives, including 39 projects linked to the Vocational Training System Development Document.
Looking ahead, the Ministry of Labour identified priorities for the labour market during 2026–2027, including accelerating the absorption and employment of jobseekers in both the public and private sectors, expanding freelance work, developing employment programs for jobseekers with special circumstances, and enhancing legislation and national competencies to monitor qualitative compliance in labour market inspections.
For 2028–2029, priorities will focus on empowering national competencies through freelance work platforms, strengthening institutional partnerships to employ Omanis in priority economic sectors, and enabling national cadres to occupy supervisory, specialized, and technical positions in the private sector.
The ministry stated that the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) includes 17 strategic programs aligned with future labour market trends, distributed across three main priorities, with 12 programs dedicated to labour market and employment.
In human resources development, 300 employees have obtained the Thomas International certification as accredited assessors, while 89 percent of government units have identified personality and leadership trait profiles within the Ejada Human Resources Management Matrix.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour for Labour Affairs stated that the 50,000 jobs targeted in the private sector in 2026 will be divided into two categories: replacement jobs in sectors such as oil and gas, logistics, and tourism, and jobs provided directly or supported through wage subsidies and training programs.
The ministry further indicated that 60,000 job opportunities will be provided in 2026, including 10,000 jobs in the government sector, 33,000 in the private sector, and 17,000 through national training and qualification programs.
In addition, the ministry confirmed that 2,000 citizens from low-income families and persons with disabilities were employed in the private sector in 2025. Initiatives are also underway to allocate financial grades in the government sector for persons with disabilities during the current year.
The Minister noted that through the “Sahem” initiative, a number of jobseekers were absorbed and most have been permanently employed, while the remaining cases are awaiting the availability of financial grades.
