MLSD Minister Praises the launch of His Highness the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister, the second version of the National Program for Employment
19-01-2021
His Excellency the Minister of Labour and Social Development, Mr. Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, praised the unlimited support of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the great King of the country, may God protect and preserve him, for citizens and His Majesty’s constant commitment to mobilising economic resources to raise living standards. The Minister likewise praised the esteemed Government headed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, may God protect him, for translating these royal aspirations into first‑class services—chief among them an attractive investment environment that generates quality job opportunities for Bahrainis. In this context, Humaidan highlighted the directives of His Royal Highness to launch the National Employment Programme 2.0, which targets creation of 25,000 jobs and provision of 10,000 training opportunities in 2021, making Bahrainis the preferred choice for employers. In a statement on this occasion, Humaidan stressed that the National Employment Programme 2.0 contributes to accelerating the pace of employing citizens in the private sector, especially as it provides numerous advantages to both employers and employees. He expressed the Ministry’s full readiness to implement National Employment Programme 2.0, in cooperation with relevant parties—most notably the Ministry of Interior, the Labour Fund (Tamkeen) and the Labour Market Regulatory Authority. He noted the importance of strengthening joint national efforts to make Bahraini citizens the first choice for employment in private companies and institutions within a framework of fair competition that serves the interests of Bahraini citizens first and foremost, and of developing the work environment to bolster the stability and growth of the labour market, which is the main axis and driver of economic growth in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Minister noted that National Employment Programme 2.0 is being launched amid exceptional global circumstances caused by the Coronavirus (COVID‑19) pandemic, which necessitate innovative initiatives to transform challenges into opportunities while safeguarding market strength and cohesion. National Employment Programme 2.0 rests on three principal initiatives: • Resuming all Tamkeen programmes with a focus on supporting Bahraini employment; • Extending the vacancy advertising period from two to three weeks before recruiting from abroad; • Tightening security measures to monitor irregular workers, ensuring fair competition. These steps complement ongoing initiatives from the Programme’s first edition launched on 25 February 2019—namely increased Unemployment Fund support, higher fees for the optional parallel system and flexible work permits, awareness drives and continued backing from the Tamkeen Labour Fund. A pivotal reform in the first edition was amending the unemployment‑insurance law to raise support levels and duration, benefiting more than 26,000 citizens. Since that launch, 19,221 Bahrainis have entered the labour market in tandem with the financial and knowledge support provided.