Labor Market Test to be Required for Oil and Gas Sector Employees

The situation

Employers in Oman will soon require pre-approval from the Ministry of Oil and Gas before filing labour clearance requests at the Ministry of Manpower to hire foreign workers in the oil and gas sector.

The effective date of this new rule has not been announced.

A closer look

• Pre-approval process.  Companies recruiting foreign workers in the oil and gas sector, including contractors, operators and service providers, will have to complete the following new steps prior to submitting a labour clearance request to the Ministry of Manpower:
  • Advertise job vacancies for one to two weeks in local newspapers, on company websites or in specialized job portals in the oil and gas sector; and
  • Provide proof of received job applications and interviews conducted, indicating suitable talent was not found for the position.
• Following these steps, the Ministry of Oil and Gas will review the pre-approval application and issue a decision. The process and timing details are not yet known.

• Renewal applications likely to be affected. According to the Ministry of Oil and Gas announcement, the new requirement will initially apply only to new labour clearance applications, but it may later apply to renewal applications as well. 

Impact

Employers in the oil and gas sector must ensure that they account for additional time to complete labour market testing and to obtain the Ministry of Oil and Gas approval before their labour clearance application is adjudicated by the Ministry of Manpower.

Looking ahead

Fragomen will report on the effective date of this new rule and further related process details when they are announced.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to Mideast@fragomen.com.