MUSCAT — The gap between locals and expatriates in the GCC workforce has remained substantially high with the expatriates dominating presence in almost all job categories.

According to a recent report by TalentRepublic.net, a regional recruitment company, 58 per cent of the GCC workforce represents expatriates. However, Oman and Saudi Arabia are the only countries in the GCC that have a significantly higher local workforce compared to expatriate
workers at 70 per cent and 73 per cent respectively, the report said.

The ratio is however, different in other GCC countries. The study shows that 87 per of the UAE workforce are expatriates. Similar trend is echoed in Qatar which has the same local-expatriate workforce ratio as the UAE.

Vital role

Kuwait likewise has a large expatriate workforce population, accounting for 69 per cent of all workers in the country, while the local workforce in Bahrain barely outnumbers their expatriate counterparts at 51 per cent.

The report emphasised the vital role of the private sector in the GCC countries in complementing governments’ efforts to boost local participation in the job market.

“Private sector cannot be referred to as one sector. Within the sector there are different industries, where each industry has certain percentage of Omanisation. The process of Omanisation is rising rapidly in the Sultanate, however some sectors may require more time,” said Hashar Al Mandhari, public relations manager, Nawras.

However, industry experts emphasised the importance of employing expatriates in different sectors in the Sultanate. “We are all devoted to our country, yet Omanisation should not take place just because of emotions. Contribution from expatriates will only push the country forward,” said Al Mandhari.

“The Sultanate needs contribution from expatriates as experiences should be shared from different countries and cultures,” he added.

The report also pointed out that the governments could implement policies and create incentives that will encourage private businesses to aggressively hire locals. On the other hand, local workers must also be encouraged to actively pursue various career prospects in the private sector.

Quality

Industry experts say GCC governments’ effort to enhance the quality of the local workforce is an important step in this process. Initiatives like the setting up of educational facilities, career oriented academic programmes and various leadership development skills organised by the government have significantly helped raise the quality of graduates in the region and improved the competency of the local workforce.

The study highlighted that the restrain to large local workforce in the private sector is the prevailing attitude within the private sector and the local workforce.

Fatma Said Al Sulaimani, leadership trainee of Zubair Corporation, believes that working hours might be the main reason why private sector lacks of Omanis. “Long working hours might be a challenge for locals. Reducing the timings and giving two days off weekly might encourage Omanis to join private sector.”

The report shows that highly competent and qualified nationals often find the work environment in the private sector unattractive because of various factors such as a perceived inferior pay scale, prompting most of them to look for opportunities in the public sector.

Industry experts feel organising leadership training programme would help in recruiting more Omanis in the private sector.

“Leadership training programmes would also prepare students and graduates for challenges in the private sector,” said Fatma.