Omanis most motivated by ‘helping the country’, ‘challenge’ and ‘development’ finds OSC’s latest research report
Young Omanis are most motivated by ‘helping the country’ (76%) found research conducted by Oxford Strategic Consulting and sponsored by BP. Despite widely held employer perceptions, Omanis ranked an ‘easy life’ as one of the least motivating factors in their lives. The Maximising Omani Talent Report captures additional ground-breaking insights from young Omanis preparing to enter the Sultanate’s workforce. The research launch event is to be held under the patronage of Her Excellency Dr. Muna bint Salim Al-Jardani, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Manpower for Technical Education and Vocational Training, in tandem with the Career & Training Opportunities Fair at Sultan Qaboos University on March 11th.
Scott Druck, CEO of Oxford Strategic Consulting, explained that ‘the private sector, especially, is in a great position to attract and retain great local talent; however, employers must understand the motivations and attitudes of Omani Youth in order to attract the best talent. Our research identifies these key motivations and aspirations.’
While both students and employers admitted that money is an important motivator, employers significantly overstated its importance (83%), whereas only 54% of students believed money to be a key motivator. Similarly, 61% of employers believed that young Omanis are after an ‘easy life'; however, ‘contributing to society’, ‘challenge’ and ‘development’ actually represented the most influential motivators for Omani students (at 76%, 40% and 38% respectively). Only 19% of Omani students listed ‘easy life’ as an important motivator.
The report focuses on maximising the development of Omani talent in engineering, with a specific focus on the oil and gas sector. BP, a major employer in the Sultanate’s energy sector, commissioned the report as part of its commitment to prepare Omani youth for vital technical and leadership roles within the industry.
Dave Campbell, Chief Operating Officer for BP Oman, said, ‘As a committed investor and partner, we need to learn about the most effective ways to attract and develop talent in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). BP has supported this important research project with Oxford Strategic Consulting to capture insights from young Omani individuals, who might be interested in pursuing education in STEM subjects. The research provides valuable lessons to ourselves in recruitment and human resources development and we hope the findings are helpful also for our host government, partners, the industry and our staff.’
This study follows other key research initiatives conducted by the UK/GCC-based HR consultancy, such as ‘Maximising Emirati Talent’ with BP UAE, ‘Maximising Qatari Talent’ with the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and ‘Employing Saudi Women’ in cooperation with SAAB Bank and its Chairman Sheik Khaled Olayan. OSC has also conducted leading research initiatives with HSBC, SABIC, Aramco, Microsoft and the UAE Federal government.
Download Maximising Omani Talent Report (English) Download Maximising Omani Talent Report (Arabic)