Muscat – The Sahim initiative of the Ministry of Labour (MoL), launched in April 2022, has successfully employed 5,000 jobseekers under a temporary contract work system in government agencies in various governorates.

According to the ministry, the initiative encourages jobseekers to use their skills, abilities and practical experiences to develop the economy, open up new vistas for investments, and gain better competitive advantage.

“The Sahim initiative creates job opportunities in the public sector and a forward-looking generation of youth who are motivated to pursue career excellence and willing to achieve institutional objectives. It also provides jobseekers an opportunity to gain skills and expertise, learn about the labour market, and gain practical experiences which give them a competitive advantage over other candidates,” said Abdulrahman Muhammad al Alawi from the Training Support Centre of MoL.

The initiative supports the principle of decentralisation and contributes to the development process in governorates. “Participants in the initiative have privileges, including special medical insurance from Dhofar Insurance Company, concessional Islamic finance from Bank Nizwa, and special offers from Vodafone,” Alawi added.

Alia Hamad al Mashaikhi, a technician in the Ministry of Interior and one of the beneficiaries, said that the initiative provided her with an opportunity to learn, engage in the work environment, and gain new experiences through teamwork and communication with other employees. “There is need to intensify training for beneficiaries to improve their job skills before they are recruited.”

Another beneficiary, Nasser Abdullah al Sinawi, an accountant in the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, said, “Sahim has contributed to developing our job skills and how to employ these in the work environment. We hope the ministry launches more employment initiatives to qualify and employ Omani youth.”