Recovery plan ‘paying off’
Bahrain’s recovery plan is paying off, revitalising key economic and trade sectors and spurring growth.
Launched following directives from His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the growth blueprint is supporting vital sectors and boosting the labour market.
The overall workforce hit 707,597 in the public and private sectors during the first quarter of 2022, up by 2.1 per cent compared with the same period last year, said Labour and Social Development Minister and Labour Market Regulatory Authority chairman Jameel Humaidan.
The national workforce also grew by 2.3pc in the public sector to hit 49,093 employees.
Meawhile, the labour sector national workforce soared by 4.5pc to stand at 110,607 at the end of the first quarter of this year.
Chaired by HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, last Monday’s Cabinet meeting reviewed key labour market indicators for the first quarter of 2022, showing the growing number of Bahraini citizens working in the public and private sectors increased by 4.6pc.
Mr Humaidan attributed the positive labour market outlook to the government’s strategies to attract Bahraini job-seekers to the private sector, accounting todate for 68pc.
“The increase in the percentage of nationals working in the private sector reflects the strength and durability of the labour market,” he said, noting that these trends contribute to stimulating and attracting more foreign investments, due to the presence of trained and qualified national labour capable of managing production in various sectors.
He highlighted the steady growth momentum registered in vital economic sectors, including the telecommunications, technology and financial sectors, which create more rewarding jobs for Bahrainis.
The percentage of Bahrainis working in jobs whose monthly wages exceed BD1,000 during the first quarter of 2022 increased by 1.7pc, making up 21pc of the total national employment.
The percentage of citizens in jobs whose wages ranged between BD800 and BD999 hit 2.6pc, accounting for 9pc of the total national workforce in 2022.
LMRA issued 50,147 work permits for expatriates during the first quarter of 2022, up by 36.5pc compared with the same period in 2021.
Meanwhile, a total of 27,576 work permits for expatriates were cancelled as per the end of the first quarter of this year. The overall number of expatriates who swapped jobs reached 18,789 by end of March 2022.
International organisations, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expect Bahrain to achieve a rate of growth averaging 3.4pc, driven by vital sectors targeted by the economic recovery roadmap.
Mr Humaidan said that more rewarding jobs would be created, unveiling plans to intensify training prgrammes for Bahraini job-seekers to enhance their employability, especially in new professions that require specific skills that keep pace with economic and technological changes to make the citizen the first choice in the labour market.
Source: https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/1114075
