Jobseekers and employees looking to advance their careers are being encouraged to utilise a first-of-its-kind portal in the region that aims to boost their employability and assess the demand for labour skills in Bahrain.
The Employability Skills Portal (www.esp.bh), which outlines a holistic view of the kingdom’s labour market, provides transparent data to aid decision-making processes for students, parents, private companies and people already in the workforce.
It was officially launched earlier this month by Isa Bin Salman Educational Charitable Trust board of trustees chairman and Labour Fund (Tamkeen) board of directors chairman Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
The portal is a result of a collaboration between Tamkeen’s Skill Bahrain initiative and the Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA).
Members of the media were yesterday given an exclusive look at the platform and all its features during an event at the Bahrain Chamber in Sanabis.
It was led by Skills Bahrain managing director Amer Marhoon and iGA deputy chief executive for operation and governance Dr Khalid Al Mutawa.
“The launch of the portal marks a major milestone in Tamkeen’s commitment to creating an ecosystem where Bahrainis are the employees of choice in the labour market,” said Mr Marhoon.
“It also provides jobseekers and graduates with the tools they need to make well-informed career decisions.
“Furthermore, it allows Tamkeen to strategically design programmes and human capital development initiatives to address skill gaps.
“We will ensure that such programmes are updated based on the latest data that reflects the dynamic nature of Bahrain’s labour market.”
The platform displays the most recently verified data from the kingdom’s labour market on the main page, which is currently from the fourth quarter of 2023.
According to the numbers provided by the Social Insurance Organisation and the Labour Ministry, around 101,522 Bahrainis are employed in the private sector, in comparison with 458,768 expatriates. The average monthly salary of Bahrainis in the sector is around BD815. The unemployment rate as of December 2023 stands at 6.3 per cent.
Citizens seeking to enhance their employability will have to select the profile which suits them best.
Each profile will give the user an array of valuable information such as an overview of Private Sector Employment and Tamkeen training as well as a Skills and Knowledge Profile, which will highlight more than 13,000 essential skills and knowledge that can help youngsters improve their chances of finding jobs.
Dr Al Mutawa said this comes as part of a major digitisation drive in the kingdom.
“This initiative underscores our commitment to furthering digital transformation and leveraging advanced technology and artificial intelligence to support the kingdom’s high-value sector,” he added.
“It utilises the National Data Lake to store information, which is securely integrated and protected through encrypted electronic connections.
“We have an ambitious roadmap for the project, and will look to add more features in the future, including a personal profile and curriculum vitae (CV).”
Tamkeen’s chief executive Maha Mofeez said earlier this month that 41,000 Bahrainis were supported in the private sector through its employment and career development programmes.
This includes support for more than 15,200 Bahrainis through programmes that facilitate their employment, as well as for 25,700 citizens through schemes aimed at skill enhancement and career development. More than 8,500 enterprises are supported through programmes promoting growth and productivity.
More than 40pc of women benefited from various employment support programmes.
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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