Oman to enact labour, taxation and subsidy reforms
Expat workers will not need permission to transfer to a new employer
Dubai: Oman plans to amend labour laws, introduce new taxation and end some “long-standing” subsidies while ensuring that low-income families are protected, the Gulf Arab state’s foreign minister said on Saturday.
Sayyed Badr Al Busaidi told the ISS Manama Dialogue summit in Bahrain that significant changes to labour policy would include abolishing a requirement that expatriate workers need permission to transfer to a new employer, which is known as the no-objection certificate system.
The number of expatriates working in Oman has dropped by 17 per cent by the end of October 2020, according to National Center for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
According to NCSI, the total expat work force in the country stands at 1,435,070 compared to 1,712,798 last year.
Figures from NCSI showed that 1,138,478 expatriates were working in private sector till the end of October 2020. Figures also showed that there have been 42,895 foreign workers in various government sectors, while 253,697 people were registered in family and dependents sector.