Draft law demands half of privatised roles for Bahrainis

TDT | Manama

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Half of all jobs in privatised state projects should go to Bahrainis under a draft law set for debate in Parliament on Tuesday.

The proposal would make it mandatory for contractors hired under government privatisation deals to employ at least 50% Bahraini staff.

Put forward by MPs Dr Muneer Seroor, Mohammed Al Ahmed, and Lulwa Al Romaihi, the bill has already been approved by Parliament’s Financial and Economic Affairs Committee.

It applies across sectors where state control or operations are transferred to the private sector, including tourism, telecoms, transport, ports, power, oil and gas, and postal services.

Dr Seroor argued the move was essential to ensure locals benefit from projects that originated in the public domain.

“It’s not right for government-run projects to end up in private hands with no guarantees for our people,” he said. “Job creation for Bahrainis must be a core outcome—not an afterthought.”

The draft reads: “A Bahrainisation quota of no less than fifty per cent must be imposed on any contractor engaged by the government under a privatisation contract.”

Supporters say the law addresses a growing disconnect between jobseekers and available positions, particularly as public sector hiring slows. Though no longer state-run, privatised services are often funded through public money and should reflect that in local employment, they argue.

The bill has two articles: the first lays out the Bahrainisation requirement, and the second calls for its immediate implementation once published in the Official Gazette.