Muscat – The Ministry of Labour (MoL) at a meeting on Sunday with several ministers and governors discussed the mechanism of employment in the public and private sectors, investment in governorates, ways to localise professions and the challenges facing the governorates in these areas.

During the meeting, the ministry launched the Maak or ‘with you’ app for jobseekers, the national workforce, and employers. It currently contains more than 11 electronic services for jobseekers, while additional services for the national workforce and employers will be added later.

On the sidelines of the meeting, H E Dr Mahad bin Said bin Ali Ba’owain, Minister of Labour, said that the ministry provided 35,000 jobs in 2022 in the public and private sectors, surpassing the target for the year.

He added that the number of jobseekers who joined the labour market in the private sector for the first time exceeded 20,000 last year and the number of people benefiting from the job security fund in 2022 increased by about 3,000 compared to 2021.

The ministry informed that there were more than 85,000 jobseekers in the country till the end of October 2022.

H E Sheikh Nasr bin Amer al Hosani, Undersecretary in MoL, said, “The meeting provided an opportunity for dialogue and knowing the requirements of each governorate. It sought to familiarise the governors with the ministry’s policies, its plans for the next year and the requirements of employment in each governorate.”

The programme also covered the system of individual and institutional performance proficiency, mechanisms for implementing the training programmes, the initiatives presented by the Training Support Centre, the National System for Capacity Building and Talent Management, and the tasks of the Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-up Unit’s office.

Each governor shared a vision for his governorate – an initiative that the governor intends to incorporate in Oman’s national economy.

Fahd Khalfan al Batashi, head of the digital transformation team at MoL, said that on the Maak app, jobssekers can upload their profiles, experiences, courses undertaken, besides their health status.
It also includes details of vacancies in the government and private sectors.

According to Batashi, the app provides jobseekers with search options for vacancies based on the educational level, gender and geographical location.

“The app in the next stage will include services for employers – both individuals and establishments – and Omani and non-Omani workforce,” said Batashi.