Muscat – The Ministry of Labour (MoL) has stated that it received 66,469 labour complaints from different parts of the sultanate in 2022.

An official at MoL said, “The ministry conducted more than 12,045 inspection visits and 2,114 awareness campaigns in various governorates in 2022.”

He added that inspection teams arrested 17,801 expatriates for violating the law and the ministry received 27,954 reports of absconding workers.

“The ministry reviewed the fees for issuing and renewing licences to recruit non-Omani workforce, besides issuing new regulations for practising some professions,” the MoL official added.

According to him, the ministry is currently working on a new system to reduce the cost of recruiting private labour. “The ministry is in the process of finalising regulations for private sector companies. Provisions will be made to hire workers on contractual basis – hourly, daily or monthly – with the option to terminate the contract any time.”

The first phase of this new arrangement will begin with specific groups, where type and hours of work can be chosen. “It will later include domestic workers.”

He added that labour unions play a major role in the market. Fifty-seven unions were registered in the sultanate by 2022.

110,000 jobseekers till March 2023: H E Ba’owain

There were 110,000 jobseekers in the sultanate at the end of March, according to H E Dr Mahad bin Said bin Ali Ba’owain, Minister of Labour.

Speaking to reporters at the Ministry of Labour’s (MoL) annual press conference held last week where its achievements in 2022 were reviewed and plans for the current year announced, H E Ba’owain said, “As many as 45,026 jobseekers were appointed through direct employment, replacement or work-related training. A total of 13,453 employees availed the job security system in various governorates.”

According to H E Ba’owain, MoL aims to provide 35,000 job opportunities this year, of which 14,000 will be through replacements in the private sector and 10,000 in the public sector, 5,000 through work-related training, 2,000 vocational opportunities for GED holders, 2,000 jobs through industry initiatives, and 2,000 vacancies generated by initiatives overseen by government agencies.

Of the set target of 35,000 job opportunities this year, 21 per cent has already been achieved.