Middle East and Central Asia > Oman

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International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
حققت سلطنة عُمان تحسنا ملحوظا في أساسيات اقتصادها. فقد تحسن مركز المالية العامة والمركز الخارجي تحسنا كبيرا، في حين يشهد النمو غير الهيدروكربوني انتعاشا في ظل انخفاض التضخم. كما زادت ثقة المستثمرين، مما يمهد الطريق لزيادة استثمارات القطاع الخاص. ويمكن لجهود لإصلاح المستمرة تعظيم المكاسب المتحققة من هذه الإنجازات، والمساعدة على تحقيق التحول الاقتصادي المستهدف على النحو الوارد في رؤية عُمان 2040.
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
Oman has achieved a remarkable improvement in its economic fundamentals. The fiscal and external positions have strengthened significantly, while nonhydrocarbon growth is picking up amid low inflation. Investor confidence has increased, paving the way for rising private sector investments. Sustained reform efforts would amplify gains from these accomplishments and help achieve the targeted economic transformation as set out under Oman Vision 2040.
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
التضخم للمستمر. أما معدا لإصلاحا ة وزخميتاومه أسعار النفط المععافيا تدت يشهد النشاط الاقتصاد اق:يسلا ىلع ضئاوف قيقحت إلى يرلجاا سابحلاة وملعاا ةيالملا ةصدرأ تلوحت ،زلعجا نم تاونس عدبف .نخفضام لظف عم ايربنخفاضا كا العام عالقطا نيد ضنخفاة. ومة العايللمال ةيلاحترازا ةرادلإاأسعار الطاقة و عفاترا ةيفلخ نامُع ةيؤر" ذينفت يف اريبا كمدقت تاطللسا ترزحوأ .نوديلر لكبملا دالسدا يف ةيتثنائسلاا تاروفولا ماتخدسا تانوبوكررديهلا ىلع نامُع نةطلس تمادعا نم ه للحدب غي القيامبما ينم ثيركناك اله لالا يز نكول ،"2040 .ينوبدروكريهر اليغ وملنا آفاق زيعزتو
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
The 2023 Article IV Consultation discusses that Oman’s economic recovery continues while inflation remains contained which is supported by favorable oil prices and sustained reform momentum. The banking sector remains resilient. Profitability has recovered to prepandemic levels, capital and liquidity ratios are well above regulatory requirements, and nonperforming loans remain low and sufficiently provisioned. Stress tests suggest that banks are resilient to credit and liquidity shocks. Risks to the economic outlook are balanced. Sustaining the reform momentum under Oman Vision 2040 will be key to building resilience and boosting prospects for more inclusive, diversified, and sustainable private sector-led non-hydrocarbon growth. This requires further efforts to improve institutional quality, reduce the state footprint, and enhance the business environment, which in turn would help amplify productivity gains from labor market and financial development reforms. It also calls for the steadfast implementation of the new social protection and labor laws, leveraging digitalization, and accelerating green investments and advancing policies to meet climate commitments.
Mr. Ananthakrishnan Prasad
,
Ms. Elena Loukoianova
,
Alan Xiaochen Feng
, and
William Oman
Global investment to achieve the Paris Agreement’s temperature and adaptation goals requires immediate actions—first and foremost—on climate policies. Policies should be accompanied by commensurate financing flows to close the large financing gap globally, and in emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) in particular. This note discusses potential ways to mobilize domestic and foreign private sector capital in climate finance, as a complement to climate-related policies, by mitigating relevant risks and constraints through public-private partnerships involving multilateral, regional, and national development banks. It also overviews the role the IMF can play in the process.
International Monetary Fund
Global economic activity is gaining momentum. Global growth is forecast at 3.6 percent this year, and 3.7 percent in 2018, compared to 3.2 percent in 2016. Risks around this forecast are broadly balanced in the near term, but are skewed to the downside over the medium term. The more positive global growth environment should support somewhat stronger oil demand. With inflation in advanced countries remaining subdued, monetary policy is expected to remain accommodative. GCC countries are continuing to adjust to lower oil prices. Substantial fiscal consolidation has taken place in most countries, mainly focused on expenditure reduction. This is necessary, but it has weakened non-oil growth. With the pace of fiscal consolidation set to slow, non-oil growth is expected to increase to 2.6 percent this year, from 1.8 percent last year. However, because of lower oil output, overall real GDP growth is projected to slow to 0.5 percent in 2017 from 2.2 percent in 2016. Growth prospects in the medium-term remain subdued amid relatively low oil prices and geopolitical risks. Policymakers have made a strong start in adjusting fiscal policy. While the needed pace of fiscal adjustment varies across countries depending on the fiscal space available, in general countries should continue to focus on recurrent expenditure rationalization, further energy price reforms, increased non-oil revenues, and improved efficiency of capital spending. Fiscal consolidation should be accompanied by a further improvement in fiscal frameworks and institutions. The direction of fiscal policy in the GCC is broadly consistent with these recommendations. Policies should continue to be geared toward managing evolving liquidity situations in the banking system and supporting the private sector’s access to funding. While countries have made progress in enhancing their financial policy frameworks, strengthening liquidity forecasting and developing liquidity management instruments will help banks adjust to a tighter liquidity environment. Banks generally remain profitable, well capitalized, and liquid, but with growth expected to remain relatively weak, the monitoring of financial sector vulnerabilities should continue to be enhanced. Diversification and private sector development will be needed to offset lower government spending and ensure stronger, sustainable, and inclusive growth. This will require stepped-up reforms to improve the business climate and reduce the role of the public sector in the economy through privatization and PPPs. Reforms are needed to increase the incentives for nationals to work in the private sector and for private sector firms to hire them. Increasing female participation in the labor market and employment would benefit productivity and growth across the region. Where fiscal space is available, fiscal policy can be used to support the structural reforms needed to boost private sector growth and employment.
Mr. Alberto Behar
We estimate the elasticity of private-sector employment to non-oil GDP in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for GCC nationals and expatriates using a Seemingly Unrelated Error Correction (SUREC) model. Our results indicate that the employment response is lower for nationals, who have an estimated short-run elasticity of only 0.15 and a long-run response of 0.7 or less. The elasticity is almost unity for expatriates in the long run and 0.35 in the short run. We interpret low elasticities as indirect evidence of labor market adjustment costs, which could include hiring and firing rigidities, skills mismatches, and reluctance to accept private sector jobs. Forecasts suggest that, absent measures to reduce adjustment costs, the private sector will only be able to absorb a small portion of nationals entering the labor force.
Mr. Zubair Iqbal
and
Mr. Ugo Fasano-Filho

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the unprecedented economic and social transformation witnessed by the member countries of the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC)-Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates-over the last three decades.