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34pc of Omanis rate ‘own business’ as ideal job

MUSCAT, January 27, 2016

Thirty-four per cent of Omanis ranked ‘running my own business’ as their ideal job role than for any other role in a new study.

Similar views of entrepreneurism as an ideal job role were reflected in Qatar (41 per cent) and Saudi Arabia (37 per cent), according to Oxford Strategic Consulting’s latest Oman Employment Report: Insights for 2016. However only 11 per cent of Emiratis surveyed viewed ‘running my own business’ as an ideal role.

The inclination toward entrepreneurism in the Sultanate can help to transition Omanis away from public sector roles and toward private sector enterprises, the report said.

The report findings reveal the following innovative employment strategies for entrepreneurs and future business leaders in Oman:

Help Omani entrepreneurs make money for themselves. Nearly 3 out of 4 Omanis listed money (76 per cent) as a top motivator, with challenge (28 per cent) and travel (28 per cent) being the next closest motivators. Yet more than a third of Omanis consider entrepreneurism to be their ideal job role. Rather than simply increase public and private sector wages, Oxford recommends that the government should provide additional, targeted support for budding Omani entrepreneurs, including perhaps government employees themselves.

Focus on the 6 per cent of entrepreneurs who actually contribute to employment growth. In order to maximise the investment in entrepreneurism, high-potential entrepreneurs who actually contribute to employment growth, known as ‘Gazelles’, should be identified and supported by the government. Providing seed funding and early support for high-potential Omani entrepreneurs is much more cost-effective than employing the equivalent public sector employees for an entire career. Oxford’s previous research started to identify the key personal characteristics of these ‘Gazelles’.

Develop natural business leaders for private sector roles. A further 22 per cent of Omani respondents wanted to be business leaders and 17 per cent wanted to join their family business. Administration (28 per cent), engineering (16 per cent) and accountancy (16 per cent) were also popular career choices for Omanis. Natural business leaders should be groomed for private sector roles by receiving globally recognized professional qualifications, such as those from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Listen to Omanis to create effective employment campaigns. Oxford believes that any employment campaign must take into account the actual employment preferences of Omani job seekers. Here, Oxford’s report found that females were significantly more likely than males to consider their ideal role in HR (18 per cent vs. 8 per cent). Those working in Muscat were also most likely to consider HR (19 per cent) to be their ideal role. Omanis working in Sohar were the most likely to consider their ideal role in engineering (21 per cent), while those working in Sur were the most likely to want to join the family business (29 per cent).

Oxford’s latest Oman Employment Report findings were launched at a Gulf Talent Advisory Board (GTAB) Fellows’ Summit on January 26 at the Ritz-Carton in Muscat, Oman.

GTAB is an elite professional network for HR leaders working on talent development issues across the GCC.

Oxford Strategic Consulting is an Oxford and GCC based consultancy that specialises in building human capital across the GCC and Europe. – TradeArabia News Service




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