Oman allows firms to hire expats in construction sector
MUSCAT, April 6, 2020
Oman's Ministry of Manpower (MoM), in a major move, has permitted some companies to hire expatriate workers provided they meet a set of criteria outlined for the sector.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al Bakri, Minister of Manpower, yesterday issued decision 127/2020 regulating the recruitment of expatriate workers for the construction sector and brick factories, reported Oman Observer.
The exception is made to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who are full-time employers and are registered with the Public Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises Development and insured with the Public Authority for Social Insurance, it stated.
The ministry also clarified that excluded from this decision are the establishments managing government projects, excellent grade companies and firms that employ 100 or more workers, said the report.
As per new rules, the employer must submit the following documents through the electronic licensing system in the Ministry of Manpower:
*Copy of the municipal licence and the lease agreement
*Copy of the agreement to implement construction work provided that it includes the duration, work to be executed, and the value (all in Arabic language)
*Copy of the project implementation order if the agreement is related to the implementation of a government project.
Also the employer must be committed to the Omanisation percentages established in the facility, it added.