MLSD Minister: Employing 20,000 Bahrainis this year
14-12-2019
His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the country's great King, may God protect and preserve him, delegated His Excellency the Minister of Labour and Social Development, Mr Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, to attend the 35th ceremony to honour hard‑working and outstanding workers and distinguished establishments in the private sector, held by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development under the high patronage of His Majesty the King today, Thursday, and organised in conjunction with the country’s celebrations of the anniversary of His Majesty the King's Accession to the Throne and the glorious National Day, where a group of hard‑working Bahraini workforce and distinguished establishments were honoured for attracting national competencies and supporting the esteemed Government’s policies in relying on the national element at various production sites in the labour market. The ceremony was attended by a number of officials, public figures in the Kingdom, labour leaders, and business and economic figures, as well as representatives of labour and professional unions, dignitaries, representatives of professional associations and civil society organisations, together with many heads of departments of companies and institutions in the private sector, executive directors, and invitees. In his opening remarks, Humaidan conveyed the congratulations of His Majesty the King, may God protect and preserve him, to the honourees, and his pride in the national workforce, which has always been a symbol of sincerity and perseverance in work and achievement. He expressed His Majesty’s constant appreciation for everyone who works and excels in giving and sacrifice for the advancement and progress of this dear nation, stressing that the process of employing, qualifying, and integrating national workers into the labour market is no longer merely a national governmental policy and priority; it has come to represent a positive societal movement and a collective conviction in which all concerned parties from the governmental and non‑governmental sectors participate. His Excellency the Minister of Labour and Social Development referred to the qualitative initiatives launched by the esteemed Government to integrate citizens into the private sector, including the launch of the National Employment Programme, in implementation of the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the esteemed Prime Minister, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, may God protect them. This programme embodies the Government’s priority for employment and for maintaining unemployment rates within their natural and low limits. The programme comprises four main initiatives, foremost among them attracting and encouraging job seekers to register with the Ministry and to benefit from the programme’s offerings while improving and increasing unemployment benefit and compensation to encourage registration and commitment; in addition, making the cost of the worker in favour of the Bahraini through the wage‑support programme and employment incentives to enhance the preference for the national workforce in employment and to accelerate its integration with high efficiency and skill. He noted that more than nine thousand Bahrainis have been employed through the programme since its launch last February, out of nearly 20 thousand Bahrainis employed in the private sector from the beginning of this year until last November, whether within the framework of this programme or through the initiative of employers themselves in cooperation with the Ministry. Humaidan added that, among other Government initiatives aimed at accelerating the employment of citizens, 529 suitable professions in demand by university‑graduate job seekers were identified, and the issuance of work permits for those professions was suspended for two weeks to enable the Ministry to negotiate with employers, organise interviews to employ qualified Bahraini cadres, and present the advantages of employing Bahrainis. He stressed that the response rate reached about 63% of employers who submitted job applications by choosing Bahraini competencies instead of applying to bring in foreign workers for locally demanded professions, as more than 1,500 university graduates have been employed so far through this initiative alone. His Excellency indicated that next year will witness a qualitative shift in the Ministry’s recruitment mechanism through completion of the electronic system for job‑seeker registration and recruitment services, in cooperation with the Information and eGovernment Authority, which will facilitate citizens’ access to employment services in an automatic and timely manner, enabling job seekers to register on the Ministry’s lists and search directly for suitable jobs. Humaidan pointed out that this year’s holding of Job Fairs has witnessed significant development; the recent comprehensive Job Fair saw the participation of more than 500 employers offering more than 3,500 vacancies with generous wages. Recruitment procedures are being followed up and completed for those accepted, which confirms the responsiveness and capability of all economic sectors and activities to generate suitable job opportunities for citizens. His Excellency the Minister of Labour and Social Development stated that, as part of interest in training and qualifying the national workforce, an advanced training programme with guaranteed employment has been launched, through which 1,000 Bahrainis have been employed so far, in cooperation with private training institutions subject to oversight and quality systems. He noted that 31 private training institutions which achieved advanced performance in the Education and Training Quality Authority’s reviews were honoured, in recognition of their excellence and their contribution to advancing the skills and competencies of trainees and employers, while stressing the Government’s approach of continuing to launch initiatives and programmes aimed at employing and integrating citizens into various activities and sectors in the labour market. For her part, Mrs Afrah Mohammed Hassan Al Rahma delivered a speech on behalf of the honourees, expressing deep pride in this honouring under royal patronage. She emphasised that Bahraini human cadres are the true wealth of this generous nation, pointing to the seriousness and perseverance of the Bahraini worker across work and production sites, especially when provided with a stimulating environment. In this context, she praised the Ministry of Labour and Social Development’s projects that enhance the attraction of Bahrainis to private‑sector establishments, alongside preparing professional competencies with the necessary skills and knowledge. His Excellency the Minister of Labour and Social Development, and the Undersecretary of the Ministry, Mr Sabah Salem Al Dosari, then presented certificates of appreciation and commemorative shields to the distinguished companies, institutions, and diligent workers among this year’s honourees, representing various production sectors. The list of honourees included outstanding individuals and distinguished establishments in various economic and production sectors: prominent pioneers 4; establishments that cooperated with the Ministry in attracting and employing national cadres within the National Employment Programme 10; administrators cooperating with the Ministry within the National Employment Programme 2; distinguished establishments 8; small projects 2; distinguished administrators 8; figures supporting persons with disabilities 2; persons with disabilities 5; in addition to workers in the informal economy 3; the oil and gas sector 6; the manufacturing sector 14; the transportation, storage and communications sector 9; the banking, finance and insurance sector 7; the contracting sector 8; the hotels and restaurants sector 4; the trade sector 20; the social and other activities sector 11; as well as workers in professions that national workers have begun to accept and excel in practising 10; and Workers in hazardous occupations 3.