MUSCAT: Oman’s spending on new projects, spurred by the recovery of oil prices, will raise the demand for foreign labor in 2010, the sultanate’s national economy minister has said.
Oman expects to create 4,000 jobs in 2010 for nationals through the 937 million rials ($2.4 billion) allocated for new projects, but Ahmad Mekki said the projects will also drive demand for foreign workers.
“We will need more expatriates to keep up with the pace of the development from new projects next year,” Mekki told reporters, without giving figures on Sunday for foreign workers. “There are not enough nationals to fulfil all the jobs in demand.”
According to the latest national economy statistics, there are 852,000 foreign workers in Oman, five times the number of nationals working in the private sector.
Foreign workers make up nearly 30 percent of Oman’s population of 2.9 million people. Industry analysts said the sultanate depended heavily on foreign labor in the construction sector.
