Bahrain unveils National Plan for Labour Market 2023-2026 to generate employment for citizens

TDT | Manama              

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain has established the National Plan for Labour Market 2023-2026 which aims to create job opportunities for citizens and align educational outputs with the needs of the labour market.

Labour Minister Jamil bin Mohammad Ali Humaidan said that it will also enhance partnerships with the private sector, promote local and foreign investments in Bahrain, and further consolidate regulation and laws that attract investments and organise workers in the labour market.

The new three-year national labour plan came after completing 91% of the initiatives of the previous plan of 2021-2023 that resulted in increasing employment rates of citizens in the private sector.

Also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), Humaidan made a statement following the Cabinet’s approval of the National Labour Market Plan 2023-2026, within the framework of implementing the provisions of Decree-Law 21/2021 amending some provisions of Law 19/2006 with regard to the regulation of the labour market, by which the Labour Ministry is assigned to preparing the national plan every four years.

The previous plan also supported the economic recovery plan and attracted investments, which led to higher employment rates and the launching of new training programmes.

Humaidan pointed out that the remaining initiatives will be completed within the current plan, which is based on four strategic goals that include 30 initiatives.

The implementation of the plan will be in collaboration with other government agencies, including the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Council of Higher Education, LMRA, Labor Fund (Tamkeen), Social Insurance Organization (SIO), the Information and e-Government Authority (iGA), the Education and Training Quality Authority (BQA).

Humaidan affirmed the keenness of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, in sustaining the labour market’s growth to generate more jobs in various sectors.

The minister highlighted HRH Prince Salman’s directives to set strategic plans to provide an attractive environment for investments and enhance Bahrain’s economic position within an environment conducive for the growth of businesses.

Public and private sector cooperation

Humaidan affirmed that cooperation between public and private sectors is a prerequisite for the success of the plan and for ensuring sustainable growth of the labour market in the kingdom, in line with the Government Programme 2023-2026.

He stressed that the plan will contribute to enhancing cooperation between government agencies to update data, address challenges, and evaluate and monitor decisions to support the implementation of all initiatives in the National Labour Market Plan.

The National Plan for Labour Market 2023-2026 focuses on contributing to reducing the cost difference between Bahraini and foreign workers and creating more job opportunities for citizens in the private sector.

It also contributes to expanding partnerships between the government and the private sector by encouraging institutions and companies to apply all modes of employment in the labour market that contribute to enhancing economic participation, such as part-time employment, and remote work to contribute to the creation of employment opportunities.

The Labour Ministry will also work to develop programmes to further integrate women into the labour market and create more recruitment options for them. Through the current plan, the ministry and Tamkeen are seeking to develop the skills and capabilities of national workers by launching training and capacity building initiatives and programmes for job seekers that face difficulty in entering the labour market.