The implications of public policy and context on employability and employment: a case study on the Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

This doctoral thesis explores how public policy and context impact the employability and employment of the local workforce in the Sultanate of Oman. By utilising a qualitative institutional logics approach, it unveils important implications across three dimensions: theory, public policy, and practice. These findings call into question numerous generalised assumptions in the field, underscoring the pivotal importance of approaching data interpretation with a context-specific lens. Notably, they emphasise the need to be mindful when deliberating environments bearing sociocultural foundations and policy structures distinct from Western settings, commonly referenced in studies and benchmarks.

The theoretical implications challenge established notions regarding factors shaping employability and employment outcomes. In contrast to the idea that education and training alone suffice to ensure satisfactory employment, this research uncovers an intricate interplay between public policy, the sociocultural context, and market peculiarities influencing workforce dynamics in Oman. Specifically, it highlights the pivotal role of Omanisation (the Omani workforce localisation policy) in skewing employability criteria by triggering a series of nuanced effects within the labour market. In the realm of public policy, a need for a holistic re-evaluation of labour market regulations and their modes of implementation comes to the fore. Significantly, it stresses the need to generate accurate labour market data to enable evidence-driven policy design, and impactful decision-making processes. The practical implications highlight the need to focus on Omani capacity building, and for stakeholders to holistically reassess the influence of an expatriate workforce in the country.

In summary, this thesis offers a multifaceted view of employability and employment dynamics in Oman, and lays the groundwork for future studies, providing valuable insights for stakeholders to improve the landscape of labour dynamics. Notably, based upon the present findings, the operationalisable Four forces of employability model was crafted to reinforce context-specific parameters of employability at different levels of implementation.

Date of Award	21 Feb 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Yasin Rofcanin (Supervisor) & Michael Mayer (Supervisor)