Adolescent and Youth Development

As for 2023, Young people in Oman under 29 years of age represent almost 60 per cent of the population. As such, Oman Vision 2040 puts young people at the very heart of Oman’s development goals and places a strong emphasis on education and creating an environment that fosters scientific research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

School-to-Work Transition   

By 2030 the Sultanate will see about 40,000 young people aged 15-24 enter the labour market as first-time jobseekers. While this represents a massive opportunity for Oman’s economic development, this influx of workers may increase youth unemployment if not accompanied by an educational system that adjusts to the needs of the labour market and policies that create new job opportunities.

Unemployment in Oman mainly affects the youth population. While the total unemployment rate in 2022 was 3.3 per cent, the youth unemployment rate was 15.8 per cent for the 18-24 age group and 6.8 per cent for the 25-29 age group. Upon conducting a detailed analysis of the data, it was observed that the unemployment rate among females is higher than that among males, with rates of 32.7 per cent and 12.5 per cent (18-24 age group) respectively. Similarly, the unemployment rates for females and males (25-29 age group) were 26.7 per cent and 2.1per cent respectively.

There is also a significant gender gap: In the 15-24 age group, 20 percent of young people are neither in employment, education and training. However, breaking down the data further shows that 35 per cent of young women are neither in employment, education or training, compared to only 8 per cent for young men. 

It is clear that the participation of young people and women in the labour force is essential if Oman wants to benefit from the dividend.

Future Skills 

The Oman National Framework for Future Skills seeks to develop young people’s learning in areas other than the traditional ones of basic literacy and numeracy. These are:

• Practical skills covering innovation and creative thinking, critical thinking, problem solving, effective oral and written communication, collective work and cooperation, leadership, taking initiatives, and resilience.
• Technical skills covering information and communication technology,  data and knowledge management, and managing media information.

Data

Disaggregated data is key to understanding the situation of youth and adolescents, and to offer a foundation for evidence-driven policies and solutions.

Social Norms 

Laws and regulations, as well as social norms and practices, affect the daily lives of young people in many ways. Young people should not be held back from participating fully in civic, economic and social life.