Labour Minister announces 2024 H1 labour market indicators

Manama, The number of citizens employed between January and June 2024 has reached 12,555, Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, Minister of Labour, has announced. This represents 63% of the annual of employing 20,000 Bahrainis, as outlined in the Economic Recovery Plan. In a statement issued following the Cabinet's review of labour market indicators for the first half of 2024 during its session held last Monday, the minister said that the figures indicate that employment is progressing according to annual rates and plans set by the Cabinet, mainly the National Plan for Labour Market 2023-2026. Minister Humaidan said that the initiatives to advance business sectors that are implemented by the government, led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, have contributed to creating opportunities for citizens. The government's initiatives target enhancing economic diversification and attracting new investments across various economic, commercial, and service secto rs. The minister noted that the projects and initiatives launched by the Kingdom to develop and enhance the labour market have significantly increased the number of citizens benefiting from employment opportunities. Humaidan said that the number of new entrants into the labour market for the first time reached 4,398 citizens, accounting for 35% of those employed during the mentioned period, an increase from 30% in 2023. The minister emphasised the important role of employers in supporting national initiatives. He highlighted the increasing growth in the recruitment of citizens across various sectors, particularly in the retail sector, which has seen a 31% growth in employment across various technical, administrative, and supervisory positions. This is followed by the services sector, which saw 11% growth, and the industrial sector, where employment growth reached 10%. Humaidan said that the names of companies and institutions employing Bahraini nationals, along with the number of individuals they have hir ed in the first half of the year 2024, will be published on the Ministry of Labour's website. The kingdom's policy of attracting more foreign investments will contribute to increasing these rates in the coming years. In line with the ongoing policy of training and qualifying human resources in the labour market, 8,637 citizens were trained in various training programmes, including basic and professional training, in cooperation with the Labour Fund (Tamkeen) during the mentioned period, marking a 19% increase from mid-2023 and 86% of the annual target of training 10,000 Bahrainis. The number of on-the-job trainees reached 1,395. Humaidan commended the cooperation of employers with the ministry's projects and programmes aimed at enhancing the integration of job-seeking citizens into various private sector establishments. He called for further collaboration in this area and to benefit from the encouraging incentives provided by the government to the private sector to ensure that Bahrainis are the preferred ch oice for employment in the labour market. Source: Bahrain News Agency