Muscat: The industrial sector in Oman has made notable strides in Omanisation, employing 1,708 Omanis—1,145 males and 563 females—between January and the end of November this year. This achievement has exceeded the national workforce employment targets by 5.5%.
According to data from the Ministry of Labour, the national workforce in the industrial sector reached approximately 30,993 by the end of November 2024, surpassing the objective of hiring 1,000 Omanis for the year.
Dr. Ahmed bin Khalfan Al-Badawi, Director of the Industrial Strategy Implementation and Evaluation Department and Head of the Employment File Team at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion, stated that future efforts will prioritize the localisation of technical and specialised roles within the industrial sector.
The ministry is committed to enhancing vocational specialisations to improve the technical skills of the national workforce, aligning with its strategic goal of investing in local talent through 265 initiatives in partnership with development collaborators.
In a statement to Oman News Agency, Dr. Al-Badawi noted that the Royal endorsement of the Industrial Strategy 2040, effective from mid-2024, has produced encouraging outcomes. This strategy encompasses 265 initiatives, with 125 directly associated with the ministry’s sectors, accounting for approximately 47% of the total initiatives, while the remaining 140 are allocated to relevant entities.
The Industrial Strategy Team at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion has initiated a series of workshops with various stakeholders to familiarize them with the specifics, goals, and execution strategies of the initiatives. These initiatives are designed to create new high-tech industries, promote entrepreneurship and innovation, and enhance governance and management in industrial development.
Dr. Al-Badawi highlighted that the ministry is concentrating on promising sectors, including resource-based industries, which encompass three industrial clusters across 15 sub-industries; capital-intensive industries, represented by two industrial clusters covering 9 sub-industries; and knowledge-based industries, which include two industrial clusters spanning 5 sub-industries.
These sectors are crucial strategic objectives aimed at bolstering the growth of the industrial sector. Additionally, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion is actively collaborating with governance committees and relevant organizations to ensure that job localization initiatives are in line with the goals of the National Employment Programme through the “Tawteen” platform, thereby meeting employment targets across all economic sectors by leveraging educational and vocational outputs and attracting specialized national talent.
