Oman: Slight rise in expatriate population
Number of expats increased by about 10,000 in September and October this year
Muscat: The year-on-year expatriate population in Oman has increased, according to the country’s National Centre of Statistics and Information (NCSI).
While last year saw a steady rush of expatriate from Oman, there appears to be a stabilisation this year. . The expat population increased by about 10,000 in September and October this year.
A majority of expats are centred in the capital region. The city of Sohar comes second. Sohar industrial area includes Sohar Port, Sohar Free Zone and Sohar Aluminium, and also has many schools, universities, hospitals and banks.
While the percentage of expatriate workers shows a decline in the government sector, the private and family-owned business sectors indicate a slight increase in the number of expats.
Effectively, October has seen private sector’s number of expatriate staff go up while government sector showed a reduction in expat staff. Construction industry accounted for the bulk of private sector expat employment followed by retail, wholesale trade and the auto repair sector.