A TOP OFFICIAL has defended the government’s stance during a parliamentary debate on jobs for expatriates arriving on tourist visas.
Labour Minister Jameel Humaidan yesterday reiterated that Bahrainis remain the top priority for employers across the country and that expatriates were being hired only in sectors where local talents were not available.
The debate followed an earlier statement by the minister that around 85,000 expatriates, who had arrived on tourist visas, secured work permits over the last five years, as reported in the GDN.
Mr Humaidan yesterday asserted that employers had the right to hire expatriates, whether from abroad or in Bahrain, to fill up vacancies in their businesses and establishments.
“Employers ask expatriates to come to Bahrain for job interviews, tests or assessment on tourist (visit) visas and if they pass all requirements, the visas are changed to residence permits,” the minister explained.
“It is not like companies are gathering expatriates from the streets and offering them jobs; they follow particular standards and specifications set for the purpose,” he added.
“We are speaking about 84,526 expatriates who arrived in Bahrain on tourist visas and secured residence status between 2019 and February 2023, which is around five years.
“There are 470,000 expatriates working in Bahrain and 72pc of them are in the construction sector, earning below BD200 in jobs that Bahrainis do not prefer.”
Mr Humaidan, who is also the Labour Market Regulatory Authority board chairman, last week presented the figures to the parliamentary committee probing the performance of the watchdog.
“We don’t need to push Bahrainis to get jobs, employers want them and so far, several businesses and establishments have achieved 100pc Bahrainisation rates,” Mr Humaidan added.
In 2022, a total of 45,204 expatriates on tourism visas secured residence permits (work permits).
Meanwhile, 7,870 expatriates were issued work permits over the first two months of this year.
A total of 13,078 tourism visas were turned into residence permits in 2019, 7,942 in 2020 and 9,424 in 2021 respectively.
“The ministry, LMRA or the government do not prefer expatriates over Bahrainis, or else why would we introduce wage and training support schemes,” Mr Humaidan said.
“The Cabinet has opened Tamkeen’s funds for me to provide wage support for graduates in medicine, law, Information Technology and engineering and we are working on more initiatives to boost employment and provide decent salaries.
“Lawyers who graduated in Arabic have been given English language training and we have added BD300 more to their monthly wages, and so far we have 49 firms accepting them.
“Around 3,000 graduates in history and geography, alongside other humanitarian and social sciences, will receive jobs training in partnership with the Bahrain Polytechnic.”
The minister further explained that 13,000 to 14,000 job-seekers were receiving unemployment allowances every month.
“The unemployment registry is now fully electronic and is overseen by me and mobile notifications will be sent during the three months as regular reminders,” he said. “People who do not find jobs during that period will be dealt with by me immediately. Those who join more training programmes will get three more months to find a job while their allowances continue.”
MP Dr Mahdi Al Shuwaikh, a cosmetic surgeon, said the government should stop ‘flirting with expatriate workers and their embassies while giving the labour market a fake face-lift’.
Some MPs also alleged that their comments were muted or cut on live broadcast, to which Mr Al Musallam replied that the matter would be investigated.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))