Strategic workforce planning for a diversified economy? Insights from Omani HR leaders

The Sultanate of Oman is undergoing a significant transformation driven by economic diversification under Vision 2040, alongside strategic investments in skills development, innovation, and digital leadership. These efforts are aimed at building a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable economy.

However, this journey is not without challenges. To ensure long-term success, leaders across industries must actively engage—identifying what needs to be changed, adopted, and reflected in their strategies to align with the nation’s evolving priorities.

One such key theme is —strategic workforce planning for a diversified economy—an area we explored in depth during a recent session of the Oman Talent Study Circle. This platform empowers HR and talent leaders through collective learning, forward-thinking dialogue, and collaborative action. 

During a thought-provoking session on this theme, prominent HR leaders from the Sultanate of Oman shared their insights. The panel included Insherah Bawazir (Standard Chartered Bank), Tariq Al-Maskari (Ooredoo Oman), Dr. Said Al Darmaki (Arabian Industries Projects), Majeed Al Jabri (GBM Oman), Latifa Al Said (OQ Oman), Yousuf Al-Araimi (Oman Housing Bank), and Kresna Prana (W Hotels Muscat). 

Aditya Chopra, Head of New Markets at People Matters, moderated the session, gathering insights from HR leaders on future-proofing the talent pipeline in the context of Oman’s economic diversification. The discussion explored the implications of sectoral shifts on talent demand, strategies for preparing the workforce for an AI-led transition, key challenges and capability gaps, and practical mechanisms to achieve strategic alignment when those gaps arise.

Here are the collective insights and key takeaways from the discussion:

#1 Future-proofing Omani talent: The leaders collectively emphasised preparing Omani talent with niche skills required for high-demand emerging sectors through knowledge transfer programs with international SMEs, long-term project planning, and a focus on ICV (In-Country Value), in alignment with Oman Vision 2040.

They also discussed job localisation, succession planning, and diversity, highlighting success stories of Omani talent—particularly women—progressing toward leadership roles.

Additionally, they stressed the need for a structured approach using key performance indicators, training programs, and the segmentation of talent and experts to drive nationalisation and provide global exposure, preparing young Omanis for future leadership.

#2 Realigning strategies to close gaps: The leaders pointed to the critical disconnect between educational institutions and job market demands. To address this disconnect, they suggested practical mechanisms including enhancing relations between academia, industry, and key policymakers such as the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Higher Education. 

They also recommended more agile curriculum development and a unified framework—with shorter approval and review cycles—and strategic oversight to avoid an oversupply of graduates in non-priority sectors. 

Additionally, they emphasized the need for greater investment in research and closer integration of academia into workforce development.

#3 Talent management in line with sectoral diversification: The leaders discussed how Oman is shifting focus from a dominant sector—oil and gas—to emerging ones like tourism, green energy, and other high-potential industries. And how this underscores the need to move from an over-reliance on one type of skill to diverse skill sets suited for all new sectors.

They emphasised the importance of promoting agility and fostering a culture of unlearning and relearning to enable talent mobility across sectors.

Additionally, they stressed the need for balance in supply-demand dynamics to avoid unemployment and inflation, highlighting the Ministry of Labour’s role in managing this balance beyond mere quota enforcement.

#4 AI-backed talent development: The leaders emphasised proactive AI adoption with clear governance frameworks. They discussed that this approach must include leadership buy-in for a top-down strategy, phased AI training for both existing and new talent, and specific use cases such as content creation, translation, and feedback systems.

They also underscored the importance of cultural readiness, responsible use, and ethical frameworks, urging organisations to identify their needs before investing in AI to ensure implementation is intentional rather than reactive.

All the leaders echoed the urgency of creating a national ecosystem where government, academia, and industry operate with a shared mission to ensure that education, training, and employment policies are coherent, agile, and future-ready.

At People Matters Middle East, we believe leadership is not just built on experience—it thrives on evolution. The Talent Study Circle is a monthly gathering of HR leaders, designed not only to keep them relevant but also to help them stay ahead of the curve, shaping the future of work while accelerating both personal and organisational growth.