Labour market indices highlighted

Manama, Aug. 27 (BNA): Minister of Labour and Social Development Jamil bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, the Board Chairman of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), stressed the positive results of the National Employment Programme (NEP) which was launched following the directives of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier. The programme aims through its four initiatives to boost employment, rehabilitation and integration of citizens in the labour market. It also seeks to give priority to Bahraini nationals and support them to become the first choice in employment while maintaining the market’s flexibility, being a cornerstone for sustainable development in Bahrain. The Labour and Social Development Minister was speaking in a statement to shed light on the positive results achieved in organising and developing the labour market which were announced by the Cabinet in its session last Monday. He stressed that NEP is one of the vital prgrammes which contributed significantly to employing Bahraini job seekers and generating quality jobs at salaries ranging between BD 300 and BD 800 and more. The overall number of employed Bahrainis reached 11649 in the first half of 2019, of whom 3495 nationals were enrolled at the labour market for the first time and 8190 had worked before. The figures also showed that 103 enter the labour market on a daily basis, with the number increasing by 30% since the NEP went into force. The minister revealed that the number of vacancies has gone up by 35% after the launch of NEP, at an average of 83 vacancies on daily basis, compared to the months preceding the launch of the programme (an average of 60 vacancies on daily basis). He added that the ministry received around 6698 vacancies in the first half of 2019 which were disclosed to citizens. He praised positive cooperation of the companies in supporting the ministry’s employment efforts, pointing out that the 3531 establishments in the private sector believed in the capabilities and high competence of the national competencies. Concerning the training programmes provided by the Labour and Social Development Ministry in coordination with the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), the Labour and Social Development Minister said 2768 job seekers benefited from those programmes, which reached 500, during the first half of this year. He added that 375 beneficiaries took advantage from a created programme providing training while guaranteeing employment. He pointed out that 147 trainees have been given jobs so far and procedures are being finalized to employ the remaining ones. The minister explained that the average salary of Bahraini workers in the public and private sectors has reached BD 532, pointing out that in the private sector, the average salary has risen to BD 431, marking an increase of %3.6. Meanwhile, he noted, the average salary in the public sector has reached BD 696. He added that Bahraini workers in the public and private sectors who earn more than BD 400 per month account for %62.1 of the overall number of jobs in both sectors. He also noted that Bahraini nationals who have salaries exceeding BD 1000 account for %30 of the overall number of Bahraini workers in the private sector. The Labour and Social Development Minister said that according to statistics carried out in June, 5656 job seekers benefited from a rise in the unemployment allowance from BD 150 to BD 200 for graduates and from BD 120 to BD 150 for undergraduates. He added that many job seekers also benefited from an increase in the compensation period from 6 months to 9 months. Fired workers also benefited from an increase in the compensation amount which reached BD 1000 at most instead of BD 500. He pointed out that 529 professions have also been determined for graduates in various disciplines which yielded dividends by promoting the employment of university graduates through constructive communication with the employers. He noted that until mid August, 1135 new vacancies have been submitted of an overall number of 2456 applications submitted by employers to obtain expatriate workers. He stressed that the initiative offered the opportunity to employ 826 Bahraini graduates. In line with a decision by the coordination committee to fast-track enrollment of graduates at the labour market, directives were given to reactivate the salary subsidization programme and increase the period to three years. As a matter of fact, in the first year, the subsidization amount reaches %70, 50% in the second year and %30 in the third year, concerning only the graduates registered with the ministry in various disciplines. The Labour and Social Development Minister affirmed that employing Bahraini nationals and providing them with the needed training programmes to turn them into a first choice for employers is a priority to attain forecast goals through the support of many parties, including Tamkeen, LMRA, the Ministry of Finance and National Economy, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism and the Economic development Board.