The recent meeting of the Sultanate's Council of Ministers reviewed a number of important subjects and asked officials to visit various regions to study the progress of development programmes and the needs of citizens. A review was made of the report of the Food Committee and the steps taken to ensure food security. Besides stressing on the need to give priority to tenders for development projects, the ministers discussed the demands made by different governorates for various projects. At the same time, a lot of priority was given to the issue of jobseekers as many of the youth preferred employment in the public sector. Agreeing that this was one of the major challenges facing the government, the ministers urged the youth to take up jobs in the private sector.

There is no doubt that it is impossible to give employment in the public sector to all the youth seeking jobs. There is a limit to what the government can do in this context. Hence, the private sector will have to play a major role in this area. And this can only be done by giving attractive salaries and perks that are on par with the emoluments being given by the public sector. Training programmes must also be started on a large scale to attract the youth.

The private sector has a duty to the nation. It cannot shun its responsibility in the task of nation-building and aim to make huge profits at any cost. It must never forget the encouragement given by the government to make the road ahead for them smooth. As a result, the private sector has grown manifold in many sectors. Hence, it is only natural that the government expects something in return. One way to pay back would be by providing jobs to the youth. In the years to come, as the pace of development picks up, the private sector will have to play a bigger role as the job market is bound to become crowded with thousands of students graduating from the country’s educational institutions.

That His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said has pinned great hopes on the youth, ever since the beginning of the Blessed Renaissance, is obvious from the policies and plans enuniciated by the government. Last year, His Majesty the Sultan ordered that 50,000 youth must be employed in the public and private sectors and more than this number found employment. This year’s budget envisaged 30,000 new jobs and this target has been met already with enough cooperation from the private sector. All this shows the importance the government is giving to the youth who are the pillars of the country’s progress and prosperity. And this trend must continue with the private sector realising that it must do more to give employment to the youth.