This article and many others like it seem to suggest that unemployment remains one of the biggest concerns for Oman in 2012. This was in the Business section of Muscat Daily on Dec. 31, 2011. An interesting part of the article that stuck out to me was the statement by the IMF that solving this problem requires “resolving the wage and benefits differentials between the public and private sectors and between Omanis and expatriates.” I think there is a good point there. I’m not exactly sure why it’s considered alright that the minimum wage for Omanis is 200 rials but only 60 rials for expats. Just a thought. I wonder if protests by Indian/Pakistani workers will continue to grow in 2012 as they see Omani employees’ demands being met and while they seem to be “left behind”. Since the protests of 2011 there are stories of Omanis grouping together in certain workplaces asking for higher salaries than their expat workers doing the exact same work. Again, I don’t understand why people doing the same job should be paid different wages based on their nationality/passport/race.
What is the actual unemployment rate in Oman?! Here’s another thought-provoking article from Muscat Daily.
24.35% unemployment sounds amazing, doesn’t it?! 33% being illiterate would definitely contribute towards finding employment, I would think. I was surprised to read that only 6.2% have a BA and less than 1% an MA or PhD. Education and training are obviously extremely important in “reforming the job market“. Click here for the full article from Oman Tribune.
Andy in Oman 