Oman: Private sector to gain from scrapping of age limit for expat workers

Dubai: The scrapping of the maximum age limit of 60 years for expatriates to stay on the job aims to help the private sector gain the benefits of the knowledge of wealth and experience they have gained, Mahad Al Ba’awain, Oman’s Minister of Labour, has said.

The decision to remove the age cap for workers was announced in January as part of a series of decision taken by the Sultanate, including increasing the maternity leave to 98 days from the current 50 in the new Social Protection Law, the draft of which the Council of Ministers recently approved for referral to the Council of Oman.

Speaking at the ‘Together We Advance’ Forum, Al Ba’awain said the 'flexible' decision to lift the age cap would benefit business owners in the private sector and increase productivity.

The new decision abolishes the rule banning the extension of employment visas after 60 years of age.