Job fairs ‘boon for Bahrainis’
MORE than 5,000 Bahrainis have been employed through four job fairs organised by the Labour and Social Development Ministry this year, according to a top labour official.
At least 1,000 more citizens are expected to benefit from the fifth unemployment roadshow which got underway at the Riffa Sports Club in the Southern Governorate yesterday, said ministry Under-Secretary Sabah Al Doseri.
Southern Governor Shaikh Khalifa bin Ali Al Khalifa, under whose patronage the two-day job fair is being held, inaugurated the event which is open from 8am to 1pm.
More than 1,200 jobs are on offer – with 44 private sector establishments offering 820 jobs while the ministry’s jobs bank has 400 vacancies, with salaries starting at BD300.
“So far this year we have held four job fairs offering jobs to more than 5,000 Bahrainis,” Mr Al Doseri told the GDN.
“We had planned six fairs for the year; the last one will be held next month in Muharraq.
“We are glad at the success of these job fairs where a good number of Bahrainis have been employed; we thank the private sector for its support.
“At this fair, we have over 1,200 vacancies of which 820 are from 44 private companies and the rest from the ministry’s jobs bank.
“The salaries start from BD300 and goes up to BD1,000 and beyond.”
Mr Al Doseri urged young job-seekers not to refuse employment offered to them.
“We see a trend of young job-seekers becoming choosy and denying offers for many reasons, including salaries and timings.
“These job-seekers keep turning up at the job fairs looking for employment but they still remain unemployed.
“As years pass, the chances of them getting the right job also get low.
“We urge young job-seekers to accept the jobs that are on offer – it is just the start and you can always move on from there to another job or different levels.
“This is better than remaining unemployed.”
Mr Al Doseri lauded the private sector’s contribution to the job fairs.
“The private sector’s contribution to these fairs has really been impressive over the past two years.
“In the given economic situation in the region and the country in particular, this contribution has helped us much in creating a momentum in the labour market.”
The GDN reported in September that the job fairs also helped in maintaining a stable unemployment rate.
According to the quarterly employment report, endorsed by the Cabinet in February, the average monthly rate of job-seekers reached 7,942 last year, compared with 7,414 in 2014 and 6,946 in 2015.
A total of 2,208 job-seekers benefited from training programmes last year – 1,405 of whom were women.
According to the report, 10,040 eligible recipients benefited from the insurance against unemployment programme last year, down from 11,083.
Source: https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/295975/Job-fairs-%E2%80%98boon-for-Bahrainis%E2%80%99
