40%
2040 target for Omanis in private-sector jobs created
The vision document makes the target explicit even if public interim reporting is still sparse.
Back to progress indicators
Signal brief
Private-sector Jobs Target
This signal matters because it is where the vision becomes personal. Households will judge the strategy by whether better private-sector opportunities actually appear at scale.
56.6% -> 83%
Skilled labour share path
The private labour market still needs a much stronger skills mix.
3.3%
Benchmark unemployment read
The labour picture looks calmer in topline terms than the structural challenge underneath it.
Target frame
What Oman is trying to do
- Increase the share of Omanis in private-sector job creation rather than leaning on the public sector as the primary absorber.
- Improve labour quality and skills alignment so national hiring works in competitive industries.
- Tie employment outcomes more directly to the sectors the vision is prioritizing for growth.
Current read
Where execution stands now
- The target is clear, but the public scoreboard around the path still needs work. That makes this one of the most important indicators to keep pressuring for.
- Skilled-labour and productivity data suggest Oman is improving, but not yet at the pace required for the long-run employment ambition.
- This signal should never be read in isolation. It belongs with Tashgheel, education, private investment, and diversification.
Regional lens
How the UAE and Saudi files compare
UAE comparison
- The UAE National Employment Strategy 2031 is explicit about growing the national workforce and raising citizen participation in value-added sectors.
- That makes the labour competition regional and qualitative, not just domestic and numerical.
Saudi comparison
- Saudi has published the unemployment target more visibly and is already near its 2030 level, which shows what a sharper labour KPI narrative looks like.
- Oman can improve by making its employment pathway more public and more sector-specific.
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