The Ministry of Labor in Oman has introduced a new system for the career advancement of government employees across the entire administrative structure of the country. This system, with a financial allocation of 10 million Omani (OMR) to government entities, will assist in career advancement and improve administrative efficiency. This plan is designed to enhance transparency and fairness in administrative processes.
Details of the Career Advancement System
According to this system, the budget will be distributed among government entities based on the number of eligible employees in each organization. To determine each organization's share, the total number of eligible employees across all entities will be calculated, and each organization's specific share will be determined in proportion to its eligible workforce from the total budget.
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The promotion process includes three distinct pathways: 'Fast Track' for exceptional performance, 'Flexible Track' based on comparative assessment, and 'Special Track' aimed at attracting and retaining talent. The Fast Track is prioritized, and any remaining resources will be allocated to fund the Flexible Track. While adherence to the first two tracks is mandatory, the Special Track is subject to the approval of the head of the entity and will be determined based on operational needs and specific criteria for each track.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the Fast Track, government employees must have served for at least three years at a level lower than the promotion level, received three consecutive 'Excellent' evaluations in the 'Ijada' performance management system, and have no disciplinary or administrative barriers. Additionally, the promotion must comply with the maximum limits of career advancement scales set in the Public Services Council Decision No. 10/2010 regarding the classification and ranking of jobs.
Promotions in the Flexible Track are awarded based on the ranking of candidates and their overall score out of 100 points, which includes up to 75 points for past job performance and up to 25 points for individual merit. Employees whose last performance evaluation was declared 'Poor' will be definitively ineligible for promotion.
Clear legal and administrative boundaries govern promotion eligibility. An employee cannot be promoted while serving a prison sentence, during a work suspension, or while undergoing administrative or judicial procedures. However, to protect the employee's rights, the target position grade will remain reserved for them during these processes. If the employee is acquitted of the offense or the penalty is limited to a formal warning or a salary deduction of five days or less, their promotion should be granted retroactively to the effective date it would have been awarded had these processes not occurred.
Promotion decisions will be issued by the head of each administrative unit twice a year and will take effect on the second day of January and July. In cases where a promotion order includes multiple employees effective on the same date, individual ranking in the new grade will be determined based on their existing seniority in the grade from which they were promoted.
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