Oman establishes association to protect expats and crack down on illegal recruitment agencies

In a major step to modernize its labor market, Oman has established a powerful new industry body dedicated to regulating the hiring of foreign workers. Officially named the Association of Expatriate Worker Recruitment Offices, this organization is tasked with strengthening governance, ensuring fair practice, and eliminating the chaos caused by unlicensed operators.

The move, launched under Ministerial Decision No. 405/2025 by the Ministry of Social Development , signals a comprehensive push for transparency and ethical compliance across the Sultanate's recruitment sector.

Oman recruitment association explained
Oman’s Ministry of Social Development (MOSD) has issued a Ministerial Decision 405/2025 to establish an association for offices that recruit expatriate workers. The body, formed under Oman’s civil associations framework, will represent licensed recruitment offices, coordinate with government entities and set standards for cross-border hiring.

Why it matters: the association gives recruiters a formal channel to engage regulators, helps standardise procedures, and creates a mechanism to defend members’ rights before authorities.

Why did Oman need a recruitment watchdog?
The creation of the Association is a foundational part of Oman's broader labor market reforms, aimed at creating a regulated, secure environment for both employers and the hundreds of thousands of expatriate workers entering the country. The core objective is not just oversight, but a total overhaul of ethical standards.

The Association's primary focus is to curb illegal practices and strengthen market governance that ensures ethical recruitment is the only recruitment. It functions as the central representative for all licensed recruitment offices before government authorities, advocating for their rights while strictly ensuring their operations align with national laws and the Basic Law of the State. This central coordination eliminates confusion and standardizes processes across the board, moving the entire sector toward professional compliance.

What does the Association actually do?
The mandate of the Association is comprehensive, focusing on four critical areas that define the new recruitment landscape in Oman:

• Standardizing Practices: The Association works closely with all relevant government agencies, both inside and outside Oman, to standardize recruitment policies and procedures. This ensures a uniform, clear, and ethical process for every single hiring operation, simplifying transactions for businesses and safeguarding workers.
  
• Cracking Down on Illegal Operators: A key priority is cooperating with enforcement authorities to actively identify and eliminate unlicensed recruitment offices. This targeted collaboration aims to clean up the market by removing illegal agents who often engage in exploitative and unethical practices.
  
• Settling Disputes Peacefully: The body specializes in mediating and resolving labor disputes involving expatriate workers. It acts as a reconciliation mechanism, liaising directly with foreign embassies through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs . This streamlining of conflict resolution prevents disputes from escalating and provides swift, clear solutions.
  
• Supporting Skilled Labor Inflow: Beyond enforcement, the Association plays a proactive role in supporting Oman’s economic needs. It assists government efforts to bring in qualified, skilled workers through regulated channels. This includes validating and documenting Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with labor-exporting countries and working to expand recruitment pipelines to include multiple nationalities, subject to government and diplomatic approval.

Governance
The Association will be managed by a 12-member Board of Directors. Members serve a two-year term and are eligible for re-election for one additional term. Notably, only the founding members are eligible to stand for election during the very first General Assembly meeting following the body’s official declaration.

The Association's operations are supported by diverse, regulated income streams. These include mandatory membership fees paid by the licensed offices, designated government subsidies, revenue generated from approved activities, and authorized donations and gifts. This multi-source funding structure aims to provide long-term stability and minimize dependence on any single source.

Agencies and expatriates
The connection with the new Association is two-fold: for licensed recruitment agencies, the organization serves as their official industry body, representing their rights before authorities while enforcing standardized, ethical practices they must adhere to, and agencies contribute to its funding via membership fees.

For expatriate workers, the connection focuses on protection and conflict resolution; the Association acts as the primary mediator for their labor disputes, utilizing reconciliation mechanisms and formally connecting with the worker’s foreign embassy through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure their interests are safeguarded.

Additionally, workers benefit from the Association's work to ensure their initial recruitment process is ethical and regulated by validating international agreements.