Muscat – In line with Royal directives to accelerate employment, the Ministry of Labour has announced a comprehensive national plan to provide 60,000 job opportunities for citizens in 2026 through an integrated partnership between the government, state-owned companies and the private sector.
The ministry stated that the plan is based on a detailed assessment of labour market needs and focuses on directing employment towards high value-added sectors, while strengthening alignment between education and training outputs and the needs of the national economy to enhance the competitiveness of the Omani workforce.
Under the plan, 10,000 jobs will be created in the government sector, including civil, military and security roles, based on carefully studied actual requirements, with the aim of improving administrative efficiency and the quality of public services. A further 17,000 opportunities will be provided through government support tracks, including wage support programmes, training linked to employment and on-the-job training, to enhance job readiness and ensure sustainable integration into the labour market.
The private sector is expected to generate 33,000 jobs, as the main engine of employment and economic growth, through partnerships overseen by employment governance committees. These opportunities will cover key sectors such as industry, oil and gas, transport and logistics, tourism, banking, health, education, real estate, information technology, telecommunications, food security, mining, retail and construction, among others supporting economic diversification.
Dr Mahad bin Said Baawain, Minister of Labour, said the directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik reflect a clear vision of building a balanced economy driven by a qualified Omani workforce. He stressed that the plan focuses on creating quality, sustainable jobs linked to training and future labour market needs, supported by clear performance indicators, strong governance and regular monitoring.
The minister underlined that employment is a shared national responsibility, calling for broad cooperation to ensure the success of the initiative and support sustainable development.
