AN initiative to help Bangladeshi nationals in Bahrain find jobs amidst the Covid-19 pandemic has proved a success with nearly 800 men registering on an online portal.
The move is the brainchild of the Asian nation’s new ambassador to Manama, Dr Nazrul Islam.
The initiative, launched on July 9, is aimed at creating a database of jobseekers among the community in Bahrain.
Bangladesh Embassy labour consul Shaikh Tahidul Islam revealed to the GDN that employers and sub-contractors were approaching the embassy with manpower requirement.
“Our aim is to create a pool of workers looking for jobs,” he said.
“There were many employers, sponsors and sub-contractors who wanted manpower and we decided to mediate.
“We opened this option on Google Forms on July 9 and we have 800 workers who uploaded their details and the kind of jobs they are seeking.
“Most of the applicants are seeking jobs in the construction sector while others in the hospitality sector.
“We referred them to a number of companies as well as sub-contractors who had approached the embassy.
“We only mediate and do not follow up on the feedback and hence we don’t have a record of how many people have been hired.”
Mr Islam also pointed out that the impact of Covid-19 on his nationals has toned down over the past month with demands for aid and food reducing considerably.
“We are happy about the response (for the job pool) and one thing we realised is that a good number of people have jobs and are looking for better options, which is a good sign,” he said.
“In the past months we had people coming to us asking for food and other aid.
“But things have changed and these numbers have dropped.
“Majority of our nationals are low-income group workers and we learnt that there are opportunities for jobs such as painters, carpenters, plumbers, masons, labourers, mainly in construction.”
He added that the sub-contractors claimed shortage of staff, which, he noted, was a “healthy sign”, while the hospitality industry, like apartments, restaurant and hotels, are still at risk.
“We have 5,000 to 10,000 people working in the hospitality industry, including sheesha shops and restaurants who don’t have jobs.”
According to the mission’s estimate in May, there are around 100,000 Bangladeshis in the services and construction sectors, and 30,000-plus who needed to be regularised.
The diplomats hoped these men would use the nine-month amnesty for illegal workers that ends on December 31 to legalise themselves.
The amnesty launched by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority as part of Covid-19 measures is aimed at covering an estimated 55,000 expatriate workers of different nationalities.
Bangladeshis constitute the second largest expatriate community in Bahrain, after India, and an estimated 200,000 of them live in Bahrain, of which more than 40,000 are estimated to be without valid visas.
Meanwhile, the recruitment of workers from Bangladesh remains suspended for more than two years.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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