Localization of labour and international migration: a case study of the Sultanate of Oman

Kailash Chandra Das, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Nilambari Gokhale, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

During the last twenty years, the increasing proportion of non-nationals among the total population of Gulf States is considered as growing dependency on foreign labor force as well as one of the root causes behind unemployment. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Oman, U.A.E., Bahrain have come up with policies to reservie jobs for their own nationals known as the localization of labor. The present paper attempts to analyze the phenomenon of localization of labor in the context of international migration in Oman. Oman’s development policy includes an ‘Omanisation Program’ as an attempt to reduce local unemployment and dependence on foreign labor through various strategies like enhancing socio-economic standards of national population through educational and vocational training and reservation of jobs for nationals. Current localization policies in Gulf countries play a key role in deciding future international migration trends. Due to the new labour policy, expatriates will be welcome in selected areas and from selected countries.