Oman’s national workforce continued to expand in 2025, with the number of Omani workers rising 4.2% year-on-year to 884,714 as of November, driven largely by stronger private sector hiring, according to new data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information.
Private sector employment of Omani nationals grew 7.2% over the year to reach 429,392 workers, reinforcing the sector’s growing role in absorbing local talent. The private sector now accounts for nearly 48.5% of total Omani employment, reflecting ongoing policy efforts to shift workforce growth beyond government roles and increase citizen participation in private enterprises.
Government employment also increased, albeit at a slower pace. The number of Omanis employed in the public sector rose 2.2% year-on-year to 392,531 workers. In contrast, employment in family-based activities declined by 1.9% to 60,885, while communal employment dropped 4.4% to 1,893, pointing to a gradual consolidation away from informal or small-scale work arrangements.Employment gains were recorded across all governorates, signalling broad-based workforce growth. Muscat remained the largest employer of Omani nationals, with employment rising 4.6% to 198,869 workers. North Batinah followed with a 4.4% increase to 167,405 workers, while Dhofar recorded a 4.0% rise to 78,790. Smaller governorates such as Buraimi and North Sharqiyah posted some of the fastest growth rates, highlighting expanding regional labour market opportunities.
By occupation, sales roles saw the strongest growth at 8.9%, followed by administrators, directors and managers at 7.1%, and agriculture-related jobs at 6.9%. Clerical, service and technician roles also recorded moderate increases. However, employment declined slightly in specialist scientific and technical roles and in industrial, chemical and food-related occupations, indicating uneven demand across skills categories.Overall, the data points to sustained progress in integrating Omani nationals into the workforce, with private sector expansion emerging as the primary engine of employment growth.