MLSD Minister: The plan reflects the visions of His Highness the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister for the sustainability of comprehensive development

13-07-2021

The plan is aligned with government policies and programmes for the coming period. It provides more employment opportunities and enhances Bahrainis' employment advantages. It strengthens the role of the private sector and stimulates productivity and job quality. His Excellency the Minister of Labour and Social Development, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority, Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, praised the Cabinet’s decision to adopt the National Labour Market Plan 2021‑2023. This plan reflects the vision and directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, may God protect him, to sustain growth and develop the labour market in accordance with the fundamental principles of Bahrain Economic Vision 2030—sustainability, competitiveness and fairness. It also aims to create quality employment opportunities for citizens, making them the preferred choice for employment, while continuing to develop oversight and regulatory measures and enhancing the private sector’s contribution to the labour market. In a statement on this occasion, Humaidan affirmed that the plan took into account the challenges facing the labour market and the achievements already made, building on them through a comprehensive national strategy that enhances economic growth, develops the capabilities and skills of national human resources, and improves the mechanisms, databases and indicators that contribute to sustainable growth in a world rife with changes. He stressed that the unprecedented measures adopted to maintain labour‑market stability during the Coronavirus (COVID‑19) pandemic demonstrated the Kingdom’s ability—supported by its business sector—to address these challenges responsibly, achieving cohesion and stability and enabling the market to overcome the repercussions of this exceptional phase. His Excellency noted that the National Labour Market Plan comprises key axes integrating the achievements of government and private entities to develop, stabilise and sustain the labour market and to provide a strategic framework guiding state institutions, employers and workers. He emphasised that the plan is consistent with, rather than a substitute for, the operational plans of the relevant state institutions linked to government programmes for the coming period. Humaidan added that the plan’s axes aim to create more quality opportunities for citizens—making them the preferred employment choice—by intensifying technical and vocational training, enhancing the private sector’s role as the primary driver of economic growth, and strengthening oversight, regulation and periodic review. He expressed confidence that Bahrain will enter a new phase, especially with the gradual return to normal life, increased economic activity and the generation of more employment opportunities for citizens across productive sectors. Under the axis of creating quality opportunities for citizens, the plan calls for continued alignment of educational outcomes with labour‑market needs and for strengthening technical and vocational training infrastructure. This goal is being pursued by the Supreme Council for the Development of Education and Training, chaired by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister, through initiatives such as an advanced, sustainable post‑school education plan to prepare highly qualified national cadres by modernising the post‑school education system. In addition, the Employment Skills Platform initiative—developed in cooperation with the public and private sectors—provides integrated data on the key skills and jobs required by the labour market and helps shape future government policy. The plan, in its general framework, seeks to achieve the principle of employment preference for national workers as the goal and means for all policies and procedures governing the labour market in Bahrain. The plan also aims to develop a mechanism for the selective and gradual rationalisation of foreign worker recruitment, aligning demand with economic development requirements and bridging skills gaps in the labour market. This is so that the recruitment of workers complements, rather than replaces, the employment of qualified national workers. Policies and procedures for employing foreign workers must take into account the principle of balance in the structure of the labour market to ensure fair competition for national workers and prevent flooding the market with a surplus of unproductive and irregular workers. In addition, the plan will review and evaluate Bahrainisation rates in private‑sector establishments to ensure they are updated in line with labour‑market variables and indicators, thus enhancing the preference of Bahraini citizens when hiring, without harming the workflows of establishments, and focusing on attractive, quality jobs and sectors. The plan calls for capitalising on challenges and transforming them into opportunities, drawing on the realities imposed by the COVID‑19 pandemic. It also urges the continued use of government initiatives that mitigated the pandemic’s economic repercussions and safeguarded national employment by paying the salaries of citizens working in the private sector. Furthermore, the plan endorses successful experiences such as part‑time and remote‑work systems—flexible arrangements that harness the productive female workforce. This approach aligns with the National Plan for the Advancement of Bahraini Women 2013‑2022, supervised by the Supreme Council for Women, which aims to sustain the participation of Bahraini women in the labour market. A significant section is devoted to the private sector, promoting it as a key driver of development through the creation of quality job opportunities and increased investment. This is to be achieved by raising productivity, investing in digital and technological transformation, and enhancing job quality for Bahrainis in the private sector. In this context, the Labour Fund (Tamkeen) is working to meet market demands by increasing support for private‑sector institutions—covering operational costs, infrastructure and growth opportunities—while providing financing programmes, business‑development services and support for e‑transformation projects, as well as granting special privileges to companies committed to employing Bahraini citizens. To accelerate the employment of national workers, the plan calls for investing in training and human resource development so that job seekers secure quality positions. It supports all vocational training programmes that raise professional skills and enhance job stability. The plan also emphasises regulating workers’ housing licences and ensuring full compliance with safety requirements through continuous monitoring. It calls for intensified efforts to control informal workers and reduce their numbers, preventing unfair competition and protecting employers. In addition, the plan underscores the need to safeguard workers’ rights and benefits by completing the Wage Protection System, developing labour inspection and dispute‑resolution mechanisms, and strengthening action against forced labour and human trafficking. Finally, the plan stresses that sustaining labour‑market growth and achieving its objectives require ongoing cooperation among the three parties of production, institutional integration in programme implementation, and up‑to‑date data to track progress and labour‑market indicators—enabling well‑informed decisions that bolster labour‑market cohesion and advance the Kingdom’s comprehensive development goals.