Definitions and Concepts

• The Shura Council is a council elected by the people, enjoying legal recognition and financial and administrative independence. It represents one of the two wings of the Council of Oman, which exercises legislative powers and exercises its jurisdiction using investigative tools: urgent statements, requests for briefings, expressions of interest, questions, requests for discussion, discussion of ministerial statements, and interpellations. The provisions of these powers are enshrined in Chapter V of the Basic Law of the State issued by Royal Decree No. 6/2021, and under the Council of Oman Law issued by Royal Decree No. 7/2021.
• The Community Summary simplifies the results of the State Financial and Administrative Control Authority’s annual report of the using clear language, graphics, and statistics. It aims to enhance transparency and accountability and teach the community about the Authority’s most important achievements and its recommendations for protecting public funds and improving government performance.
• Omanization, which is increasing the proportion of Omani workers and prohibiting the recruitment of foreign workers in specific sectors
• Unemployment is defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as any person of working age who: was not in paid employment or self-employment; was available for work; was actively seeking work or had confirmed arrangements to start a job within a short period (usually three months) but was not yet working; or those participating in training related to a forthcoming job offer. The Sultanate of Oman uses the term “job seekers” as a positive alternative to the “unemployed”. As such, the term "job seekers", consistent with the definition of the ILO and reviewed and approved by it, will be used in this research paper.
  

Introduction

This paper presents a critical analysis of employment policy design and tools in the Sultanate of Oman based on the analytical framework developed by Michael Howlett and colleagues to understand the dynamics of policy design and implementation and the challenges involved in aligning them with political and institutional contexts. This analytical framework is based on the premise that the design process is not limited to central policies and their literal application but is shaped by continuous interaction between multiple levels of bureaucracy, all of which play a design role to varying degrees. Howlett proposes a three-level approach that allows for the diagnosis of structural imbalances in policies, starting with the legislative framework and ending with the mechanisms of implementation on the ground.

This paper therefore employs the analytical model in a practical manner. At the macro level, it analyzes the legal and regulatory framework that shapes the structure of the Omani labor market, including labor law and the job security system. At the mid level, the paper examines how operational policy objectives are formulated and tools selected, such as wage support initiatives, training programs linked to employment, and other job creation incentive programs. At the third level – the micro level – the paper analyzes how these tools are actually implemented by practitioners or employees, including interpretations and practical efforts that sometimes lead to an actual reshaping of policies during implementation and application. By tracing elements of inconsistency between these three levels, the paper seeks to reveal the missing link that hinders the effectiveness of employment policies in Oman.

This analytical approach is important given the scarcity of Omani studies that address employment policies as a separate field within public policy; most studies focus on the social and cultural dimensions associated with job seekers, while overlooking policy design and tools. This analysis comes in a context where the issue of job seekers tops the agenda of Oman Vision 2040; the issue has received significant societal attention since the social unrest of 2011, even though such attention wanes and waxes. A preliminary examination of the results and their implications reveals gaps in implementation and weaknesses in coordination between the legislative and executive levels, which may explain the continued rise in the number of job seekers despite the various initiatives that have emerged, particularly over the past five years.

This paper’s approach therefore deconstructs the rigidity of design, the suitability of tools, and the conditions for implementation, leading to an answer to its main questions: What is the missing link in Oman’s employment policies and tools? What lessons can be learned to create more coherent approaches for the next phase?