Home GCC Oman Oman’s expat workforce down by 16% amid pandemic – report Up to 272,126 foreign workers, mostly from Nepal, Uganda, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Egypt, have left Oman by Bloomberg December 29, 2020 Nearly a sixth of Oman’s expatriate workers left the Gulf Arab country in the first 11 months of 2020, after losing their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Times of Oman reported, citing government figures. The National Centre for Statistics and Information calculated that 272,126 foreign workers departed, leaving the non-Omani work force at 1.4 million. Most were from Nepal, Uganda, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Egypt. Read: Over 7,600 expats register to exit Oman as part of its initiative to waive overstay fines Wealthy Gulf Arab monarchies have for decades depended on unskilled and skilled foreign workers to transform their economies. But with no formal route to citizenship or permanent residency, and no social safety nets, many expatriates who lost jobs due to measures to curb the spread of the virus have been forced to return home. Tags Covid-19 Economy expats jobs Oman pandemic workforce 0 Comments You might also like How REITs are unlocking the potential of UAE real estate Top marks for GCC nations in digital connectivity index Key trade deal brings UAE, Mauritius closer together Bahrain notched up 2.45% growth in third quarter of 2023