ABSTRACT

Since the oil sector began to develop in 1967 and with a change of government in 1970, the Sultanate of Oman has experienced a swift and intensive modernization resulting in far-reaching economic, social and political transformations (Valeri 2009; Pradhan 2013). The growing economy has led to a rapid increase of jobs and branch offices of foreign companies in Oman have multiplied. These developments have accelerated the need for a skilled workforce even more. This demand has had to be satisfied through recruiting foreign workers for low-paid and well-paid jobs. The most important economic activities and the highest demand for urban labour force are concentrated in the capital area of Muscat. According to the latest census in 2010, expatriates numbered 816,000 amongst the total population of more than 2 million in the Sultanate. While the labour outflow from India to other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia) decreased towards the end of the 2000s, the number of Indian migrants to Oman has continuously increased. In 2010, 105,807 Indians migrated to Oman (Zachariah and Rajan 2012).