FAQ
Q: What are the official authorities that manage the unemployment insurance system?
A: The Ministry of Labouris involved in managing and operating this system, and the General Authority for Social Insurance is responsible for making financial payments to banks.
Q: What are the tasks of the Ministry of Labour and the General Authority for Social Insurance in managing the unemployment insurance system?
A: Within this framework, the Ministry of Labour carries out the following tasks:
- Unemployed registration.
- Providing suitable training for the unemployed.
- Determining the unemployed person's entitlement to compensation or aid.
- A decision to stop the payment of compensation or aid and the determination of the loss of the right to them.
The Social Insurance Organization performs the following tasks:
- Collection of assessed contributions.
- Payment of compensation or aid.
- Investing funds for the unemployment insurance account.
- Managing the unemployment insurance account.
Q: What are the categories referred to in the unemployment insurance system?
A: The unemployment insurance system includes the following categories:
- Private sector workers and employees.
- Government workers and employees.
- First-time job seekers.
Q: What is the amount of the monthly subscriptions?
A: The monthly contributions to the unemployment insurance system are calculated as follows:
- A percentage (1%) of the worker (insured) worker wage.
- A percentage (1%) of the wage of the worker (the insured) to be paid by the employer.
- A percentage (1%) of the wages of all insured persons shall be paid by the government.
Q: What are the conditions for entitlement to unemployment compensation?
A: To be entitled to unemployment compensation, the following conditions must be met: Completing the required subscription period. (Twelve consecutive months from the subscription for the first claim)
- To abide by the instructions issued by the Ministry of Labor.
- He/she did not leave the job voluntarily.
- He/she must be willing to work.
- He/she is seriously looking for work.
- To be able to work.
- He/she must not have reached the legal retirement age.
- He/she should not have been dismissed for disciplinary reasons.
- To pass the scheduled training successfully.
- With regard to expatriate workers, the residence of the foreign worker in the country must be a legal residence for the purpose of work in accordance with the regulations in force.
Q: What is the amount of unemployment compensation? Is it possible to claim repeated?
A: The unemployment compensation is paid on a monthly basis at the rate of 60% of the insured's wage based on the average monthly wage during the twelve months prior to his unemployment, and it does not exceed the maximum amount of BD 1000 per month.
Q: What is the minimum unemployment compensation?
A: The minimum unemployment compensation must not be less than BD200 per month, or the average wage of the insured during the twelve months of his unemployment, whichever is less.
Q: What is the maximum period for disbursing unemployment compensation?
A: The unemployment compensation is paid for a period of up to nine months, and it can be claimed for the next time after work and dismissal by other than disciplinary means.
Q: What is the maximum period for disbursing unemployment compensation?
- The insured is entitled to unemployment compensation for the second time if he/she worked again in an insured job for a period of no less than 12 months during the 18 months prior to his/her unemployment.
- The insured is entitled to compensation for unemployment for the third time if he/she works again in an insured job for a period of not less than 18 months during a period of 24 months from which, third claim is counted.
- The insured shall be entitled to compensation at any subsequent time if he/she worked again in an insured job for a period of not less than 36 months during the 48 months preceding the claim for compensation.
Q: Is it permissible to combine unemployment compensation with the employer's other entitlements?
A:It is permissible for the insured person to combine between unemployment compensation and his/her other entitlements with the employer, such as service bonus and compensation for unfair dismissal.
Q: What are the conditions for entitlement to unemployment benefit for first-time job seekers?
A:For a job seeker to obtain unemployment benefit for the first time, the following conditions must be met:
- The applicant should be a Bahraini citizen.
- The applicant should not be less than 18 years of age.
- The applicant should comply with instructions of Ministry of Labour.
- The applicant should not engage in commercial or professional business for his own account.
- The applicant should be capable to handle the work.
- The applicant should be willing to work.
- The applicant should not have reached retirement age.
- The applicant should pass the required training.
- The applicant should be seriously looking for work.
Q. What is the amount of unemployment aid for first time job seekers?
A: A first-time job seeker is entitled to unemployment benefit of BD200 per month if holds a Bachelor's or degree or higher, or else he/she is entitled to a benefit of BD150 per month if his/her academic credentials are less.
Q: What is the maximum period for disbursing unemployment benefits?
A:The unemployment benefit is disbursed for a period of up to nine months, and in the event that a claim is submitted more than once during a period of twelve months, he/she will receive the benefit for a maximum period of another nine months.
Q. What are the cases for the suspension of unemployment compensation or aid?
A:The unemployment compensation or aid will be suspended in case of non-compliance with the attendance rules of the Labour Services Office.
Q: What are the cases that will renounce the right to receive compensation or unemployment aid?
A: The right to pay unemployment compensation or aid is forfeited in the following cases:
- If an unemployed person rejects a suitable job offered by the employment office twice without a valid reason.
- If an unemployed person takes up employment for which he receives a wage equivalent to the amount of compensation or aid.
- If an unemployed person obtains aid or compensation through fraud and deceit.
- If an unemployed person becomes entitled to a pension equivalent or exceeding the amount of compensation or aid.
- If an unemployed person fails to apply for registering his name with the office within 3 months from the date of the termination.
- If an unemployed person engages in a business activity or professional practice for his own account.
- If the accommodation of an unemployed foreign worker is illegal.
- Final departure of an unemployed foreign worker from the kingdom
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