Temporary Ban On Hiring Expats In The Oman Private Sector

On 28 January 2018 the Ministry of Manpower issued Ministerial Decision 38/2018 (the MD), implementing a six-month-long ban on the issuance of work permits for non-Omani individuals in 87 job categories in the private sector. The MD came into force on 29 January 2018.

The MD impacts jobs within the IT, accounting and finance, sales and marketing, management and human resources, insurance, media, medical, airports and engineering sectors.

The Ministry has also clarified that the ban only impacts these specific job categories, meaning that a job which is broader than, but includes, one or more of the banned categories will not be affected.

While pre-existing work permits issued before the implementation of the ban will remain valid, one particular aspect of the MD that has caused some concern amongst employers and employees alike is whether existing work permits which are due to expire during the six-month ban are renewable during this period.