Oman bars hiring foreigners in some sectors

Muscat: Oman said on Sunday a number of jobs have been put off limits to foreign workers under new rules aiming to provide more employment opportunities to Omanis.

The ministry of manpower has begun implementing the restriction by not issuing permits for private sector companies operating businesses such as import and export and clothing to hire foreign workers.

"These jobs are reserved for Omanis to give job opportunities to nationals and reduce reliance on foreign labour," Minister of Manpower Juma Bin Ali Bin Juma told Reuters.

The ban does not apply to banks or oil companies. Like other Gulf Arab oil-exporting nations, non-OPEC Oman relies on foreign workers mainly from Asia and other Arab countries.

According to official statistics, about 25 per cent of Oman's total population of 2.8 million people are foreign workers.

The economy ministry has allocated 275 million rials ($714.3 million) in the 2008 budget as a grant to the private sector to train nationals.