Oman has reduced the salaries of new civil service employees by up to 20 per cent with immediate effect as the government deals with the economic impact of lower oil prices and the Covid-19 pandemic.
"All new recruits in the civil service will now get one grade lower in the salary scale according to their qualifications," the Civil Service Council said on Sunday.
The wage cuts range from 20 per cent for doctorate holders to 5 per cent for secondary school graduates.
Oman employs about 180,000 civil servants in various government ministries.
The government last month announced plans to cut its expenditure by 10 per cent, equivalent to 500 million rials (Dh4.7 billion). It said all government employees who have served for 30 years would be retired and that salaries of board members in government organisations would be halved.
"It makes a lot of sense to reduce the salary burden of the civil service at a time when the economy is being hit by declining oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic," Said Al Kharusi, an economic analyst, said.
Oman announced 157 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, taking the total of infected people to 5,186, of whom 22 died and 1,465 have recovered.
Last week, the Finance Ministry cut an additional 5 per cent from planned spending as a result of falling oil prices.
Oman's oil currently sells at $35 per barrel, whereas the 2020 budget is based on a price of $58. It has estimated a deficit of 2.5 billion rials this year.
Oman also announced a decision on Sunday to liquidate its 31 per cent share in GlassPoint Solar due to "the sharp drop in oil and gas prices as a result of the global economic slowdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic".
The US-based company uses solar power to create steam for so-called enhanced oil recovery in oilfields.
Its other major shareholder is Royal Dutch Shell.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Cofe
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 80-100
Amount raised: $13m
Investors: KISP ventures, Cedar Mundi, Towell Holding International, Takamul Capital, Dividend Gate Capital, Nizar AlNusif Sons Holding, Arab Investment Company and Al Imtiaz Investment Group
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
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Six tips to secure your smart home
Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.
Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.
Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.
Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.
Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.
Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.
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The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Mobile phone packages comparison
