AN urgent proposal to fully Bahrainise five sectors of the labour market was presented yesterday.
The five sectors are media, law, Sharia (religious), dentistry and sociology.
Presented by five MPs led by Ebrahim Al Nefaei, the proposal will be debated today.
“There are hundreds of graduates who are keen in getting jobs in these five sectors,” said Mr Al Nefaei.
“However, most of those employed in these sectors are expats.
“Bahrainis should be at the forefront of any recruitment drive and only if no suitable candidate is available, expats should be hired.
“In the case of the five sectors mentioned there are more than enough Bahrainis who can keep things running for a very long time and ensure full Bahrainisation.”
Last month, Mr Al Nefaei was elected chairman of a newly-formed Bahrainisation committee; he previously headed a probe into Bahrainisation.
MPs last month unanimously approved amendments to the 2010 Civil Service Law that would give expats a maximum two-year contract in government jobs.
Reservation
The permit will be renewed only if no local candidate comes forward for the job.
They also last month unanimously approved a legislation that seeks to prioritise jobs for Bahrainis.
The draft national employment law states that all jobs in state-owned companies, as well as firms with 50 per cent or more government contribution, should be reserved exclusively for Bahrainis.
However, if the Labour and Social Development Ministry’s Jobs Bank or the Civil Service Commission’s applicants’ database include no qualified Bahrainis for the role, temporary contracts could be offered to expats.
The bill is being now drafted into a proper law by the government and will be referred to the National Assembly for review.
The Labour and Social Development Ministry earlier told MPs that 105,000 citizens – constituting 69 per cent of the total Bahraini workforce – were already employed in the private sector.
“We have ambitious programmes that would make Bahrainis the top choice, but there are jobs like air hostesses, chefs and receptionists that our nationals don’t prefer and we cannot leave the vacancies unfilled for months,” the ministry said.
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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