Oman's Ministry of Manpower raises expat fees and doubles licence renewals
Updated
Updated · Arabian Gulf Business Insight · May 4
Oman's Ministry of Manpower raises expat fees and doubles licence renewals
5 articles · Updated · Arabian Gulf Business Insight · May 4
From 1 February, companies missing a 25% Omani workforce quota pay OMR622 per expatriate permit renewal, up from OMR211.
The policy aims to boost national employment as 60,000 Omani graduates seek work, but business leaders say war-related revenue losses and Strait of Hormuz disruption are squeezing margins.
Official data shows about 893,000 Omanis and 1.8 million expatriates were working by end-March, with recruiters expecting slower foreign hiring, delayed expansion and pressure on sectors reliant on manual migrant labour.
Amidst a regional war, can Oman's economy survive its own drastic labor reforms?
As Oman forces companies to hire locals during a war, who will pay the ultimate price?