The Omani government has arrested and deported 138 expat workers for violating labor law at the time the state embarks on the Omanization of the work sector.
According to press reports, 82 of the deportees are accused by the ministry of Manpower of not ‘being legally part of a private business’s workforce.’ The other 56 workers are charged for violating the labor law.
The move coincides with the government’s plans to make more place for national skills.
In January, the ministry issued a temporary six-month ban on hiring foreign expats in 10 private sectors.
The targeted sectors are information systems, sales, marketing, administration, human resources, insurance, media, airports, engineering and technical professions.
The ban was meant to correct the attitude of companies, which are more inclined to hire foreign skills.
The government’s decision and the new visa rules dealt a blow to some sectors such as real estate, as rent prices dropped.
