MUSCAT : A senior member of Oman’s Shura Council has urged a review of policies requiring small-scale commercial establishments to hire Omani nationals, saying rigid enforcement could have unintended consequences for small and medium-sized enterprises and potentially force some to close.
His Excellency Sultan bin Hamid Al Hosni, deputy chairman of the Shura Council’s Youth and Human Resources Committee, said the measure should not be treated as a simple way to fill job slots in company registers and cautioned against applying it without adequate flexibility.
“The idea of appointing Omanis in commercial records is not intended to fill a gap,” Al Hosni said in an interview. “Obligating companies to appoint an Omani employee may create reverse results and could ultimately lead to the closure of commercial records,” he noted.
His comments echo concerns voiced by small business owners in recent weeks, including barbershop operators who say a new requirement to hire an Omani worker before renewing permits for expatriate staff has disrupted operations, reduced revenue and even led to closures in some cases, as limited local interest in certain trades and rising costs squeeze margins. 
The shift has added to Shura Council scrutiny of labour market reforms and Omanisation policies, with members pressing the Ministry of Labour to provide clearer data on the real-world impact of mandatory employment measures on job creation, business continuity and private-sector growth.
Al Hosni stressed that employment policies must balance the goal of increasing national workforce participation with the sustainability of businesses, particularly SMEs that are already navigating economic headwinds.
For all the latest news from Oman and GCC, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page, which is updated daily.
