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Saudi Arabia is moving ahead with plans to curtail its dependence on foreign labour, but the intended benefits haven’t yet trickled down to the country’s own nationals as intended.

Expat jobs declined by 2.3 percent, or 234,191 over the first three months of 2018 to just over 10.18 million, according to results revealed by the country’s General Authority for Statistics.

However, Saudi Arabia’s unemployment rate for nationals over the age of 15 creeped up to 12.9 percent, up from 12.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017.

A closer look at the results shows that Saudi Arabia’s male and female workforce participation rates registered increases, now amounting to 63.5 percent and 19.5 percent of each gender’s active and employable population.

Those increases contrast with unemployment rates for each: Saudi women’s unemployment rate decreased during the quarter to 30.9 percent from 31.10 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017; the unemployment rate for Saudi men increased to 7.6 percent during the same period.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Labour and Social Development issued a new decree earlier in the year limiting retail and other operational jobs in 12 different sectors to Saudi nationals.

The country’s Ministry of Civil Service has also announced it wants only nationals to staff roles in its public sector.

The nationalisation initiatives are intended to create over 1 million jobs over the next decade.

But the latest measures from the state of Saudi Arabia’s workforce show that the total number of workers in the Kingdom has actually declined by 247,628 to 13,333,513.

Unemployment across the country, including rates for both nationals and expats, has risen to 6.1 percent in the first quarter of 2018 from six percent in the last quarter of 2017.

Source:https://www.arabianbusiness.com/politics-economics/400163-saudi-unemployment-increases-despite-decline-in-expat-workers

A consortium led by Saudi-based ACWA Power has been awarded the Salalah Independent Water Project by the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company.

The plant will be located in Salalah, Dhofar region and will have a capacity to generate 25 million gallons per day of desalinated water using reverse osmosis technology.

The consortium also includes Veolia and Veolia Middle East and Dhofar International Development & Investment Holding Co (DIDIC), a statement said.

The project is being procured by OPWP under a build-own-operate framework on the back of a 20 year water purchase agreement, it added.

Dhofar Desalination Company, the project company, will be owned by ACWA Power, Veolia Middle East and DIDIC.

Paddy Padmanathan, president and CEO of ACWA Power, said: “Water is the most vital commodity for human life as well as a necessity for all enterprises. We are delighted to have been awarded this project and the opportunity to continue supporting Oman as a reliable supplier of desalinated water and power.”

The engineering, procurement, and construction of the plant will be handled by a consortium of Fisia Italimpianti and Abeinsa Infraestructuras Medioambiente while the operations and maintenance of the plant will be undertaken by a consortium of Veolia Middle East, NOMAC Oman and DIDIC.

Thamer Al Sharhan, managing director at ACWA Power, said: “Oman is a strategic country for ACWA Power – our portfolio of six plants can generate over 4,300 MW of power and 42 million gallons per day of desalinated water. ACWA Power is committed to ensuring the success of this project while creating real value for the local communities.”

Demand for water in Oman is expected to rise by about six percent per annum over the next seven years.

Source:http://www.arabianbusiness.com/industries/construction/385461-saudi-led-group-wins-deal-to-build-key-oman-water-project

Tourism arrivals to Oman will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13 percent between 2018 and 2021, according to a new report.

The Colliers International data, released ahead of Arabian Travel Market 2018 (ATM), which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre next month, predicts the rise will be fuelled by visitors from across the GCC, who accounted for 48 percent of guests in 2017.

In addition, arrivals from India (10 percent), Germany (6 percent), the UK (5 percent) and Philippines (3 percent) are also expected to contribute heavily to the growth, supported by new visa processes and improved flight connections, the report said.

Historically, the Middle East has been the largest source market for Oman, with arrivals from this group increasing at an annual rate of 20 percent between 2012 and 2017, it added.

Simon Press, senior exhibition director, ATM, said: “The latest data demonstrates the growth in visitors to Oman will continue, supported by strategic investment from the government as it turns to tourism to diversify its income streams.

“Oman is a fantastic destination with responsible, eco, cultural and heritage attractions, as well as being a key travel hub, with significant opportunity to capitalise on transit itineraries for stopover visitors.”

Accommodating the predicted influx, a number of major hotel chains have recently announced properties in Muscat, driving the 12 percent CAGR over the next three years – from 10,924 rooms in 2017 to 16,866 keys in 2021.

Supply in Muscat is dominated by five-star properties, accounting for 21 percent, and four-star, accounting for 24 percent.

Press said: “With strong existing demand from GCC leisure and business travellers, Oman is preparing for even more 4- and 5-star guests over the coming years as work completes on the Oman Exhibition and Convention Centre and Muscat Opera. Occupancy could rise by as much as 5 percent in 2018, so Oman really is one to watch.”

Complementing its hotel pipeline, Oman has made significant investments in other tourism infrastructure, including airports, the report said, adding that expansions at Muscat and Salalah International Airports pushed passenger figures to 12 million and 1.2 million in 2016.

Source:http://www.arabianbusiness.com/travel-hospitality/391937-oman-forecast-to-see-double-digit-growth-in-tourists-to-2021