Business hours during Ramadan
Ramadan may be a time for prayer and reflection in Islam, and while great care is taken to ensure that this is a calm and peaceful loving time for all those that live in Oman business tends to stay open, even though the working hours change. During Ramadan work hours in most public and private organisations are reduced by two to three hours per day, and business meetings may be difficult to arrange during the day, however many people meet in the Majlis during the night where people spend time with each other while enjoying some food and fresh juice or tea.
Muslims in the private sector may work only six hours per day and government offices close at 14:00 or earlier. Many private offices start work an hour or so later and shops are open until 22:00 or 24:00. This includes fashion outlets and supermarkets. almost all of the restaurants are closed during the day, the ones that serve food to non-muslims are usually covered in black curtains or boarded up so as not to attract attention. The Ruwi district in Muscat and more popular shopping malls are usually crowded, even at night, and parking can be hard to find!
The minimum working age for Omani citizens is 13, but this provision is not enforced against the employment of children in family businesses or on family farms. The minimum working age for foreign workers is 21.
The minimum wage for non-professional workers was $260 per month in 2002. However, many classes of workers (domestic servants, farmers, government employees) are not required to receive the minimum wage and the government is not consistent in its enforcement of the minimum wage law.
The private sector working week is 40 to 45 hours long, while government officials have a 35-hour working week.
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Normal working hours
