What caught my attention in the recently-issued statement by the Council of Ministers is that it spoke about the job-seekers problem and the Omani youths’ unwillingness to join the private sector. From my own point of view this matter constitutes a key obstacle facing the nation’s development march and brings us two decades back to the start of Omanisation. However, the question that should be asked frankly in this context is: What makes the Omani youth shy away from joining the private sector and opt for the public sector instead? The answer seems to be quite simple and it revolves around a single point: the government sectors offer better privileges than the private sector, and obviously with the changes taking place in the society the young people are not blamed for seeking the opportunities that provide them and their families with dignified living conditions which might not be available in the private sector. One day I heard a top Omani official saying: anyone who turns down a job with a better salary is foolish.
Understandably, most private sector jobs aren’t that bad, some of the private sector employees like graduates and technicians seem to be in a good condition and the young graduates normally quit public sector jobs in search for better ones in the private sector. On the other side, the private sector workers are getting meagre salaries, even less than the RO 200 stipulated by the government as a minimum wage and some workers shy away from filing complaints lest they should lose their jobs and face an uncertain future. The minimum wage of RO 200 is a humble salary compared with the salaries at the military and security apparatuses, even the general diploma graduates have a chance to get handsome salaries in the public sector. The government has to take a decisive action in this respect and push the private sector towards taking the national responsibility. The government can also pitch in with funds to help the private sector increase the salaries.
A few days ago I read an appalling report saying that the expatriates’ remittances reached $ 2.5 billion last year which is a colossal figure and worrying at the same time. There are 1.3 million expatriate workers registered at the Manpower Ministry let alone those who are staying illegally. Aside from the social problems created by non-Arab expatriate workforce, the huge funds sent by workers to their home countries at this financially critical period is quite enough for us to sense the scale of the problem.
Strangely enough, two decades after the outset of job nationalisation policy the Omanisation ratio is still less than 25 per cent, with the private sector institutions adamant about recruiting expatriates and most of these institutions are not fulfilling their commitments in applying the Labour Law. This is one of the most dangerous issues that should be addressed by the government, however, the solution should be a reasonable one based on far-sighted studies rather than short-term remedies.