Jobs boost for Bahrainis!

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

More than 14,000 Bahrainis have so far been employed in various sectors since the launch of the National Employment Programme second edition at the start of the year.

The number represents 56 per cent of the 25,000 jobs that the programme aims to create this year as part of the government’s efforts to cushion the negative impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the labour market.

Labour and Social Development Minister Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan said this initiative has also succeeded in limiting layoffs due to the economic effects of the pandemic.

Also Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) Board of Directors Chairman, Humaidan noted that the programme has contributed to enhancing the stability in the local labour market, stimulating employment processes, and creating job opportunities in the private sector. He added that employment rates are expected to witness growth in the coming months, coinciding with the recovery phase.

The labour market report indicates that the number of Bahraini private workforce has reached 68%, which confirms the sector's pivotal role in supporting the national economy and its ability to absorb new workers. To date, the number of vacancies available in the job bank has reached 4,801, and the Labour Ministry is working harder to integrate more Bahrainis into suitable jobs according to their educational qualifications.

Humaidan stressed that thanks to the government’s keenness to provide better standards of living and the financial packages for citizens, wage rates have maintained their levels in the public and private sectors.

The average total wages during the first quarter of last year was BD788, while the average wages of Bahrainis in the private sector increased to BD770 during the first quarter of the current year.

The percentage of Bahrainis who work in jobs whose wages exceed BD400 in the private sector reached 56% of the total Bahraini workforce until the end of the first quarter of 2021.

The programme aims to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of the services provided, as well as invest in the national competencies and develop them professionally, through improving training and adapting its output to the real needs of the labour market to make Bahrainis the employees of choice in the private sector.

The National Employment Programme 2.0 also provides incentives to increase the pace of employment by increasing the incentives provided to employers and job-seekers.

These include supporting the salaries of the citizens in the private sector and increasing the support provided by the Unemployment Fund for the unemployed.

Humaidan stressed the Labour Ministry’s keenness to develop the training systems at private training centres and institutes to ensure that their training programmes and curricula meet the needs of employers, calling for more cooperation among the three production parties to ensure the success of the programme and maintain unemployment rates at secure levels.