The pandemic hit the Gulf state hard last year, both through the shock of low oil prices and the huge toll it took on vital non-oil economic sectors such as tourism.
"Expatriates employed in the government sector fell from 53,332 to 49,898. While expatriates employed in the private sector dropped from 1,608,781 to 1,403,287."
Oman posted a deficit of 827 million rials ($2.15 billion) in the four months to April, the ministry said on Wednesday, with revenues declining by 27.7% annually during the period.
The ratings agency expects oil prices to remain below their trajectory prior to the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of lower demand in sectors like aviation, resulting in higher deficits among Gulf states.
Under most plausible scenarios, the level of SWF coverage of government debt stocks will fall significantly for Saudi Arabia and Oman, weakening their fiscal strength over the medium term.