MLSD Minister: Employing (5000) and Training (1874) Bahrainis since the launch of the National Program for Employment 2.0

17-03-2021

Target sectors diversified; specialist posts prioritised Efficiency boosted through employer‑driven training programmes Eighty‑three training institutes are licensed by the Ministry and are implementing the training programme with guaranteed employment. His Excellency the Minister of Labour and Social Development, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority, Mr. Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, announced that 5,000 Bahraini citizens have already secured positions in private‑sector establishments since the launch of National Employment Programme 2.0, introduced under the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, may God protect him. A further 1,874 Bahrainis have completed basic and professional courses aligned with labour‑market skill requirements up to mid‑March. Employment and training are expected to accelerate in the coming months as the programme’s technical and administrative mechanisms are fully embedded. Humaidan added that the programme's implementation comes in light of the exceptional global circumstances of the Coronavirus pandemic, to encourage the employment of citizens across various productive sectors of the labour market. He pointed out that the Ministry of Labour and Social Development has developed an executive plan for the programme, together with complementary initiatives to enhance the employment and qualification of Bahrainis in private‑sector establishments and ensure their job stability. This is achieved through a set of projects, programmes and policies to raise the efficiency and sustainability of the services provided, invest in national energies, employ them and develop them professionally to make them the best choice for employment in the labour market, and develop appropriate basic programmes to maintain unemployment rates within stable and safe limits, in addition to improving the work environment and raising productivity in private‑sector companies and institutions to stimulate investment in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Humaidan’s remarks came during a press briefing organised by the National Communication Centre held remotely today, Wednesday, as part of a series of government media briefings. His Excellency the Minister of Labour and Social Development reviewed the most prominent achievements of the National Employment Programme 2.0 since its launch last January; the three‑year initiative (2021–2023) aims to support Bahraini employment. Humaidan stated that the programme aims to employ 25,000 Bahrainis in 2021 and provide 10,000 training opportunities annually. It includes three main initiatives: • The Labour Fund (Tamkeen) has allocated a budget of one hundred and twenty million dinars for three years (2021–2023)—double the amount allocated over the past five years—to support the employment of Bahrainis through the wage subsidy scheme. • The programme will increase the amount and duration of support provided to those registered on the Ministry of Labour and Social Development lists and new entrants to the labour market. • It will also extend the period for announcing vacancies before recruiting workers from two to three weeks, and will tighten security measures to monitor irregular workers. With regard to the principal initiatives that the Ministry of Labour and Social Development is implementing to accelerate training and employment of Bahrainis and safeguard their job stability, His Excellency the Minister indicated that the Programme has been actively promoted to employers and jobseekers. He explained that the Ministry has launched a publicity campaign to showcase the programme’s benefits to both groups, thereby increasing the flow of vacancies to the Ministry, encouraging establishments to recruit Bahrainis, and attracting more citizens to benefit from the programme’s job‑ and training opportunity component. He emphasised that the Ministry has simplified the registration of jobseekers by launching an electronic system that allows applicants to record and update their personal data continuously, creating an accurate, up‑to‑date database, and by providing guidance and advice to motivate citizens to register their employment applications with the Ministry’s Vacancy Bank. The number of job vacancies in the Vacancy Bank reached 5,097 by mid‑March. Humaidan pointed out that, among the initiatives adopted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development in this context, is support for part‑time work for Bahraini women and remote work, in coordination with Tamkeen; these arrangements are covered by wage‑subsidy benefits. In addition, a permanent online employment fair has been established to allow employers to display their vacancies to Bahraini jobseekers. Through this fair, jobseekers and employers can select suitable positions or candidates electronically, based on the accurate data provided by the system for each vacancy and applicant. He emphasised that this saves time and effort for both parties and provides the infrastructure needed to facilitate the employment of Bahrainis in the private sector. Humaidan also affirmed ongoing coordination with all relevant bodies to create employment for citizens, noting that the Ministry targets a broad spectrum of sectors and focuses on roles preferred by jobseekers. These sectors include industrial, financial, administrative, commercial, and service activities, as well as specialised posts in modern digital and technological fields. He added that the Ministry also encourages young people to pursue entrepreneurship and self‑employment, providing them with training opportunities. Regarding enhancing the pace of training to qualify citizens for the labour market, Humaidan emphasised ongoing coordination with the Labour Fund (Tamkeen) to provide free basic and professional training that raises Bahrainis’ efficiency through training programmes aligned with employers’ needs, delivered via 83 institutes licensed by the Ministry. He added that both sides are coordinating on the training programme with Job Secure (Dhaman), under which jobseekers are trained for specific roles and then employed in private‑sector establishments, with training institutes and centres responsible for placing their graduates under the supervision of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development. The training offered under this programme combines theoretical and practical components, and graduates receive a professional or vocational certificate.  In the same context, Humaidan highlighted the implementation of the On‑the‑Job Training Programme (Furas), launched by His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, HM the King's Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs and National Security Advisor, and Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports. The programme aims to provide jobseekers with practical skills and experience by offering on‑the‑job training and professional qualifications in one or more occupations within companies and institutions. This is achieved through contracts between employers and jobseekers for up to three years of training. His Excellency the Minister stated that licences have been granted to training programmes whose outcomes are aligned with employer requirements. He added that coordination and work are underway with the Information & eGovernment Authority to launch the “Employability Skills Portal” in cooperation with the public and private sectors. This portal will provide comprehensive and integrated data on the most important skills and jobs required by the labour market, helping young people and new entrants to the labour market rationalise their career choices and paths, and move towards future sectors that the economy will offer. His Excellency the Minister of Labour and Social Development, Mr. Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, confirmed the Ministry’s ongoing initiatives to safeguard national labour stability. These include supporting the training and employment of Bahrainis to strengthen their job security and establishing a specialised team to process requests for workforce reductions in the rare cases of total or partial establishment closures—prioritising retaining national labour and preserving Bahraini jobs. He also emphasised adherence to Law No. 37 of 2015 amending Article 110 of the Labour Law in the Private Sector Promulgated by Law No. 36 of 2012, which stipulates: “it shall be taken into consideration not to terminate the Bahraini worker who has the same competence and experience of the foreign worker who works with him at the same establishment,” he stressed, adding that the Ministry is working to secure immediate employment for Bahrainis affected by establishment closures. He further noted that redundancy rates fell by nine per cent in 2020 compared with 2019, notwithstanding the public health challenges posed by the pandemic.