Hire in Oman 2023 Guide | What Employers Need to Know

Overview of Oman

Population: 4,713,553

GDP: $220.12 92024 Estimate Billions)

Currency: Omani Rials (OMR)‍

Economic Overview

Despite the GDP’s decline in 2020 to minus 2.3%, Oman continues to have one of the strongest economies. The oil industry remains the predominant industry in Oman and is the main contributor to the GDP and revenues of the country.

The Sultanate of Oman has a diversification strategy toward other sectors like tourism, manufacturing, shipping, and gas-based industries. Opportunities to work in Oman are galore, and there is a huge demand for skilled workers ranging from surgeons, engineers, technicians, judges, lawyers, and marketing directors.

Market Size

For the new norm of remote work to continue in a hassle-free manner, Oman needs to have super-fast internet connectivity. Thanks to remote work, commutation worries are a thing of the past, and in the present scenario, the broadband and mobile internet speeds are excellent. On average, Oman has a broadband internet speed of 45.96 Mbps and a mobile internet speed of 39.2 Mbps.

The Sultanate of Oman includes the younger population between the age group of 18-29 leads to 46.7% of the population. To equip the workforce to match the industry standards, the government has launched many training programs for Oman citizens to bridge the gap.

The Oman government is creating more opportunities for Omani citizens in the manufacturing sector, construction business, mining, and tourism to reduce the dependency on revenues from the oil industry. Covid 19 and the global lockdown have reversed the need to increase employment possibilities in other sectors.

A Brief Glimpse of Industries

The employment opportunities for Omani citizens are looking better, ever since the percentage of allocation of jobs for expatriates in the private sector has been brought down. The fees offered to expatriates have also increased in recent years. The revision in fees has comparatively proven beneficial for Omani citizens as this improved their living standards.

The predominant industries in Oman are the crude oil industry, petroleum, and mining, which provide many job opportunities to Oman nationals. Furthermore, new opportunities are constantly being created in the construction, medicine, and teaching professions.

The engineering sector is likely to see a surge in employment opportunities for technicians and skilled laborers. The Oman government is looking for qualified professionals in the accounting, banking, and finance sectors. Recognizing the talent and hiring qualified persons in Oman is the way for parallel growth and development of all industries.

The most sought-after professions in Oman are surgeons, judges, lawyers, bank managers, CEOs, CFOs, orthodontists, college professors, pilots, and marketing directors. When there’s so much to offer, it becomes tricky to hire the right set of people for your team.

Skuad can help you find, hire, and manage excellent local talent and make expansion in Oman a hassle-free task.

Cost of Living in Oman

The cost of living in Oman is relatively expensive. One can find accommodation at moderate prices as there is a wide range of choices. The cost of rent depends upon the size of the accommodation and the facilities. The rent may reduce as you move further outside the city.

The expenditure on food can be higher when one rules out the choice of locally available food. Whether it is for a family or an individual, a majority of the expenditure is on food. The cost of food per day in Oman is on an average of 10$. It may vary based on a person’s preferences and choices. 

If you prefer accommodation within city limits, the cost would be around 650-1100$, whereas if your preference is outside the city, it would cost you around 450$ per month.

Usually, the utilities are nominal in Oman, which is included in the rent. Groceries and essentials are affordable for foreigners as well as citizens of the country. They remain the same almost throughout the country.

One can save a reasonable amount of money as the income in Oman is tax-free. Both expatriates and the nationals in the country say that the cost of living in Oman is reasonable and affordable.

The employees with extensive knowledge on a subject matter are knowledge workers. The skills they derive out through experiences over a while. These subject matter experts, whose capital is their knowledge, apply the same to their day-to-day functioning of the business. During a survey, it is found that nearly 60% of the knowledge workers are self-motivated.

Their strengths are improving the productivity of the work; critical thinking makes them problem solvers and the best decision-makers. Their primary focus is the quality of the work, results, and continuous learning and likes challenges in the work atmosphere.

Top Sectors Hiring in Oman

The employment possibilities for knowledge workers in Oman are extensive. Knowledge workers include professionals like physicians, academicians, engineers, data analysts, programmers, lawyers, and teachers. These subject matter experts depend solely on their knowledge for a living.

The most lucrative and highly paid professional in Oman is a physician. As the open positions in many institutions are available for academicians and teachers, the opportunities are bright. The government in Oman plans to increase the job opportunities for engineers that will pave the way for more learned professionals. Lawyers are also one of the most coveted professions in Oman.

Top Skills in Oman

Oman is a trade-based economy and has a huge diversity in the availability of open job positions in sales, teaching, accounting, technical, media.

For the teaching profession, the following are the desired skillsets:

1. Experience in teaching
2. Knowledge of Arabic

Top Skills City-wise and Occupation-wise in Oman

Skuad experts can help you handle global talent seamlessly. Get in touch with us to learn more!

With the increase in the fees for issuing a license to the expatriates in Oman, the license fee incurred by the company for a senior-level position will be more than $5,197.38 (OMR 2,100). The license fee for a middle-level position will be $2,599.99 (OMR 1,001).

The Omanisation initiative has increased the license fee for the foreign workforce. This then forces organizations recruiting individuals from other countries to give priority to Oman citizens for job opportunities.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, about 83% of the companies have pushed to scale remote work culture. It has brought down the hassle of commutation and enabled the completion of assigned tasks from employee homes' comfort.

Predominant fields where remote working is convenient are customer service, tutors, entry-level computer jobs, computer programming, sales, data entry, translation, freelancing, web development, and graphic designer jobs.

Skuad’s EOR solutions for Oman can help expand your business while adhering to the tax legislation, labor laws, and contracts.

Salary Structure for Various Roles

The compensation structure to hire in Oman will vary according to the skill sets. The experience level of a candidate will also make a paradigm shift to the numbers.

Employment Laws in Oman

• Omani workers employed in the private sector should be given permanent employment contracts.
• The minimum and maximum age of a worker should be 15 and 59 years, respectively.
• The law prohibits discrimination, which means equal employment opportunities for everyone regardless of their sex, race, age, etc.
• The employer should issue an employment contract to the employee with all general principles mentioned clearly.
• The probation period must not exceed three months.
• The employer will be given health benefits such as if an employee is treated in a government hospital, the expenses will be borne by the employer.
• The payment of wages will be made weekly or monthly, depending on the nature of the work.
• The Labor Law in Oman was issued to protect Omani employees, expatriate employees, and employers. The Labor Law also covers private companies and public sector units.
• The Labor Laws clauses cover the provisions, definitions, employment contracts, remuneration, leaves, and the mandates for expatriates.

How Can Skuad Help You in Hiring in Oman?

Hiring in Oman is a multi-faceted task requiring in-depth knowledge of the laws, trends, hiring costs, living costs city-wise, and more. Skuad comes onboard as a one-stop solution handling every minute aspect of recruitment. It gives you the freedom and time to focus on your project and expansion plans without any hiring stresses. Connect with Skuad experts to know more.