The thrust on creating employment opportunities for Omani nationals has been given a further impetus with the Ministry of Manpower targeting more jobs for Omanisation.
Jumaah bin Ali bin Jumaah, Oman's Manpower Minister, held a meeting with high-ranking officials from different government sectors, and has accepted certain proposals to speed up the Omanisation process.
Under the new proposals, the jobs of cashiers, drivers, security officers and workers in retail and supermarket sections are expected to be Omanised by the end of this year. Also Omanised, fully, will be jobs of workers, drivers, receptionists and office boys in the sales and distribution sector, by 2005. These categories have to be Omanised 90 per cent this year, 95 per cent in 2004 and 100 per cent by 2005.
The jobs of assistant engineers in the electricity and water sector will be Omanised by 2004/2005 80 per cent this year itself. Skilled workers in the same category will be Omanised by this year.
Restaurants catering mainly to tourists (in the travel and tourism sector) will be Omanised by 2007.
During his meeting with the heads of the committees, the minister also sought views of the sectoral committees on Omanis-ation ratios. Companies have been asked to submit their Omani-sation figures by August 15.
Those proposed Omanisation figures were mentioned in working papers approved by the sectoral committees earlier and discussed at the second forum on national workforce employment held at the Royal Camp in wilayat of Ibra last February.
The meeting also discussed other topics pertaining to training programmes, salaries and awareness. The ratio of unemployed Omanis is increasing thus the government is keen to create new jobs for young Omanis. According to an estimate around 25,000 Omanis seek employment every year.
Already, the government has put in place an ambitious 2 million-rial Sanad programme to provide self-employment to Omanis in the foodstuff sector.
The meeting with the Manpower Minister was attended by Abdul Aalim bin Mustahail Rakhyut, Head of the Omani-sation Follow up and Monitoring Committee and Head of the Joint Committee for Omanisation in the vehicles sector, Abdullah bin Ali bin Daoud, Undersecretary for Electricity and Water and Head of the Joint Committee for Omanisation in Electricity and Water sector, Rajha bint Abdul Amir bin Ali, Undersecretary for Social Development and Head of the Joint Committee for Omanisation in the Information Technology sector, Ali bin Masoud Al Sinaidi, Undersecret-ary for Commerce and Industry and Head of the Joint Committee for Omanisation in Sales and Distribution sector, Mohsin bin Khamis Al Balushi, Tourism Undersecretary and Head of the Joint Committee for Omanisation in Travel and Tourism sector, Sultan bin Hamdoun Al Harthy, Secretary-General of the Tender Board and Head of the Joint Committee for Omanisation in Contracting and Engineering Consultancy Offices sector, and Mohammed bin Ali Al Wahaibi, President of the Omani Telecommunications Company and Head of the Joint Committee for Omanisation in the Communications sector.
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