Monday, Apr 24, 2017

Muscat: The year 2017 has seen a decrease in number of Omani job seekers, as more nationals are finding work.

According to the latest figures issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), 34,246 Omanis were seeking jobs in the first quarter of 2017, which was down from the 43,858 Omani job seekers during the same period in 2016.

The majority of job seekers are college graduates between the age of 25 and 29.

As many as 22,030 out of the 34,246 job seekers in 2017’s first quarter are female.

An NCSI report issued in 2015 found male job seekers needed an average of three-and-a-half years to find a job, while females needed at least four-and-a-half years.

Omanis prefer careers in the public sector where they have greater job stability.

The plunge in oil prices has made it more difficult for the government to provide jobs for Omanis.

Nationals are now finding themselves competing with a growing expatriate population which stands at around 45.5 per cent of the total population.

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