08 June 2020
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Oman announced yesterday that any expat workers resident in the sultanate will in future be allowed to switch jobs, if they provide proof that current contract has finished or has been terminated.
According to reports in the Times of Oman the new rule will come into effect on 1 January 2021. The regulation will bring to an end the law that currently prevents expats from changing jobs in the GCC country.
The new rule means that all foreign nationals will be able to move to a new employer if the firm has a license to hire, and the individuals can provide a document proving the end of their previous or existing contract.
The moves was welcomed by employers in the country.
Nalin Chandna, CEO of the National Gas Company, told the Times of Oman: "I think that companies have, in the past, spent a lot of money in trying to recruit foreign talent from overseas, because they were unable to secure the services of skilled foreign workers in the country."
Muscat's annoucement comes at a complicated time for expats in the Gulf, with many countries actively reducing their expat headcount or even banning expats from their civil service altogether.
Last week Kuwait's prime minister said he would like to see the country's expat workforce reduce to 30% of the total populace, down from 70% today.
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