Muscat – Oman’s improving economic performance and declining public debt are reinforcing the economy’s ability to generate jobs, with around 700,000 jobs projected under the 11th Five-Year Plan, including 300,000 for Omanis.

According to H E Dr Said bin Mohammed al Saqri, Economic Adviser at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, positive fiscal and growth indicators are translating into tangible labour market gains through the creation of sustainable employment opportunities.

He was speaking at the Together Forward Forum held on Sunday under the patronage of H H Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, in the presence of ministers, senior officials, private sector representatives and civil society members.

H E Saqri said current policies focus on accelerating economic diversification, empowering the private sector and stimulating investment in productive sectors in line with Oman Vision 2040. “These efforts support the creation of quality jobs and boost the participation of citizens in the labour market.”

He stressed the importance of aligning education and training outcomes with labour market needs, highlighting the role of specialised training programmes. He also pointed to the gradual Omanisation of leadership roles in the private sector at senior, middle and technical levels.

A national private sector development programme has been launched to identify challenges facing the labour sector and introduce enablers to enhance competitiveness, he added.

On tourism, H E Azzan bin Qassim al Busaidi, Undersecretary for Tourism in the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, said Oman received 3.96mn visitors in 2025, with tourism spending rising 18.1%. The sector’s value add reached RO1.1bn, underscoring its recovery and expanding role in economic diversification. He added that domestic tourism attracted nearly 14mn visitors in 2025.

In urban development, H E Dr Khalfan al Shueili, Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, said 95% of rural housing in Dhofar’s plains are complete in line with the national urban strategy, while preserving rural character and green spaces. Targets have also been set for the next decade.

Meanwhile, H E Saeed bin Hamood al Mawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, informed that investments in telecommunications and IT over the past five years totalled RO1.2bn, including RO65mn in artificial intelligence, reflecting Oman’s accelerating transition towards a digital economy.

H E Ibtisam bint Ahmed al Farooji, Undersecretary for Investment Promotion in the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, said an integrated stakeholder system has been established within ‘Invest in Oman’ to provide a clear and structured investment framework.

She noted that 110 investment requests have been processed, including 59 active applications that are under company formation phase.

H E Ibtisam added that Invest in Oman has supported the implementation of eight strategic projects through the National Negotiation Team, helping secure investments worth up to RO2.5bn.

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