Oman’s number of job seekers soars, majority are graduates

The number of job seekers in Oman rose by 11 percent by the end of July, and most of those are university graduates, national daily Times of Oman has reported.
Current figures suggest there are 50,000 Omanis seeking work, according to the National Center for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the report added.
The country’s population currently stands at approximately 4.7 million people.

And experts say graduates need to lower their wage expectations if they hope to find employment in their chosen field.
Meanwhile, in a bid to generate some income, many Omani graduates are taking whatever work they can find, including waiting and driving.
But they are prepared to take lower wages, if the right job is made available and matches their qualifications.
One such example is Saleh Al-Saidi, who has a diploma in applied chemistry, but has worked as a bus driver for the last two years.
“If I find a job relating to my specialty, I will accept it even if the pay is low,” Al-Saidi told the newspaper.
And English graduate, Abdulnasser Abdullah said: “For the past two years, I have worked in many part-time jobs, such as driver, water tank driver and car rental clerk, in a tourism company.”
According to information released by the NCSI this year, the majority of people looking for work are in the 25 to 29 age bracket – with most being college graduates, the report added.
Jasim Al-Baluchi, deputy head of Education and Professional Development said the increase in the number of graduates was a likely reason behind the increase in job seekers.
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