Oman's new labour law explained: all you need to know about the 2023 changes

1) Employment is an intrinsic right for Omanis

2) Each establishment has to disclose its annual plan for localisation and replacement, to be published at the workplace and on its official website, which also should have detailed report on the number of Omani workers, their salaries, their gender, and any information about job vacancies, if available.

3) Devise a plan incorporating the appointment and training of Omanis for leadership roles and ensures its effective implementation

4) Working women’s privileges include an allocated hour each day for child care and a 98-day maternity leave provision. Allows to avail themselves of an unpaid leave period lasting up to a year for child care.

5) A seven-day paternity leave and a 15-day caregiver leave for accompanying a patient. Additionally, the number of sick leave days has increased.

6) The law also obliges employers to provide a dedicated rest place in establishments where the number of female workers exceeds 25.

7) Law permits the employer to allow a worker to work temporarily for another employer. It would ease business operations and mitigate the cost of recruiting foreign labour for the employer.

8) The law empowers the employer to terminate the contract if a worker fails to achieve the stipulated level of productivity. This is permitted after notifying the worker about the areas of inefficiency and providing them with an adequate period of no less than six months to rectify it. The clause would boost productivity within the establishment and promote competition among workers.

9) The law also allows for the termination of non-Omani employees, facilitating the process of ‘Omanisation’ if an Omani worker is employed to replace them in the same position.

10) Oblige the business owner to establish a performance appraisal system in his establishment.

11) It is permissible to grant the worker, at his request, a special leave without pay.

12) Transferring the worker from working during the night hours to the daytime hours in case it is proven that he is unable to work during them.

13) Eight working hours interspersed, not including the rest hour

14) A requirement not to prejudice the rights of the worker in the event that he is assigned a work not agreed upon.

15) Organising work in specific sectors according to the working conditions in each sector, which creates stability in the work in the establishments.

The law is organizes into ten chapters, containing a total of (150 Articles) divided across 14 sections: