Expat population on the decline in Oman

MUSCAT, Mar 11: After seeing their number rise for over a decade, the population of expatriates in Oman is now witnessing a downward trend, reports Times of Oman.

According to data from the National Centre for Statistical Information (NCSI), the number of expats has fallen by nearly 21,000 in 10 months. The numbers have, in fact, fluctuated in these months.

The population of non-nationals in the Sultanate was 2,121,013 on May 02, 2017 while on March 07, 2018, the figure stood at 2,100,296 a decline of 20,717.

Experts said the number of white-collar workers was dropping in the last couple of years, while the number of blue-collar workers was going up; now the number of blue-collar workers is also beginning to fall.

It has been noted that the Omanisation policy and strict visa regulation for expats have resulted in this drop in the number of expats, who are increasingly getting replaced by Omanis.

Moreover, a six-month ban on expat workers in 10 sectors, including 87 professions, was imposed by the Ministry of Manpower from January 25, 2018. The decision came into effect following a ministerial decree issued by Minister of Manpower Abdullah bin Nasser Al Bakri on January 24, 2018.