MANAMA: The flexi-work permit policy has achieved its goals three years after its launch, a top official has said.
The scheme has led to a 43 per cent drop in the number of illegal migrant workers, Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) chief executive Ausamah Al Absi said.
The authority is stepping up inspections to ensure free visa workers are unable to undertake activities which expatriate business owners aren’t allowed to exercise without obtaining a permit, he said.
Other campaigns will also be conducted on illegal workers in co-operation with the Interior Ministry.
He announced the introduction of an occupational certificate with specific criteria for craftsmen to ensure quality and competitiveness.
In an interview with our sister paper Akhbar Al Khaleej, he said fees levied on holders of flexible visa workers don’t allow them to compete with citizens. Monthly fees imposed on them are six times as much as those imposed on regular workers, Mr Al Absi said.
Since the flexi-work permit was launched, the authority has been keen on solving this problem in a practical and realistic manner and in accordance with a labour market study to strike a balance and maintain market competitiveness.
He said Bahrain has succeeded in managing layoffs in the labour market during the Covid pandemic by launching an amnesty period enabling illegal workers to correct their situation, which spared the kingdom negative social, health and security effects with the presence of illegal and laid off labour force during this critical period.
A total of 53,000 illegal workers have corrected their situation recently, he noted.
The private sector has welcomed the job vacancies announcement system for it saves them expenses and allows businesses to know about national cadres that deserve suitable job opportunities, he said.
Workers who run away after the start of the grace period aren’t allowed to rectify their status, he clarified.
With doors reopened for employment of expat workers, job applications have dropped compared with pre-Covid period.
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