The labor ministry said that another 7,689 expatriates have requested permission for departure The number of expat managers likewise decreased by 22.4 percent annually by the end of September DUBAI: The number of expatriates working in Oman was down 17 percent by the end of October to about 1.44 million from almost 1.71 million during the same period of last year. This as the Sultanate’s labor ministry said that another 7,689 expatriates have requested permission for departure between Nov. 15 and 19, daily Times of Oman reported. “The requests were registered according to the status of the work permit. 3,765 work permits were active, 3,263 of the request makers were unemployed, 408 were people without work permits and 253 were people whose permit was cancelled,” the report added, quoting the ministry. The number of expat managers likewise decreased by 22.4 percent annually by the end of September, with the official count of National Center for Statistics and Information pegging at 29,687 compared with 37,603 non-Omani midlevel staff during the same period last year.