House Committee ‘plans to discuss’ Bahrainisation’ with Labour Minister

The Bahrainisation Committee of the Parliament is planning to quiz Minister of Labour and Social Development Jameel Humaidan over Bahrainisation, it emerged. The committee plans to take up many issues before the minister including Flexi Visa System and Parallel Bahrainisation System.

The Parliamentarians believe that the Flexi Visa System and Parallel Bahrainisation have made it difficult for Bahrainis to find jobs. The committee is of the view that Bahrainisation in the private sector and public sector has not reached adequate levels.

The Flexi Permit, a Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) initiative allowing foreign workers to sponsor themselves, has come under severe criticism from MPs. According to sources, the committee may submit the final report on Bahrainisation on December 28. 

Recently, a proposal was approved in the Parliament that aims to limit certain professions in the private sector to only Bahrainis. MPs claimed that most high and middle level posts in the private sector is going to expatriates, causing Bahrainis to miss out on lucrative opportunities. They called for a law to be enacted, which would restrict certain private sector jobs to just Bahrainis. 

The lawmakers stated that majority of the jobs in the private sector are going to expatriates, while Bahrainis are struggling to get jobs. According to them, the existing initiatives to reduce unemployment among Bahrainis is not enough.    

The MPs pointed out experience of Oman in implementing such a restriction. Oman has stopped issuing visa for expats for 87 jobs since past two years. Information and Technology, Accounting and Finance, Marketing and Sales, Administration and Human Resources, Insurance, Information/Media Professions, Medical Professions, Airport Professions, Engineering Professions, Technical Professions were some of the areas affected in Oman.

The number of Bahrainis in the Kingdom reached 677,000 this year, constituting 45 per cent of the population, while there are 823,000 expatriates living here (55pc of total population). The data reveals that the number of expatriates has been growing substantially with over 64,000 foreigners arriving last year alone. The number of Bahrainis rose only by 12,000 last year when compared to 2016 numbers.