A group of MPs has sought to completely ban expat recruitment in 35 professions in Bahrain’s private sector – and increase the minimum wage of all Bahrainis.
The full list of jobs that would be reserved only for Bahrainis includes fields such as education, currency exchange, accounting, marketing, engineering, human resources, retail and hospitality management and flight attendants.
Parliament Speaker Ahmed Al Musallam has referred the Strategic Thinking Bloc’s proposal to the chamber’s services committee for review.
“The professions we are targeting are currently full of expatriates,” said bloc president and Parliament’s financial and economic affairs committee chairman Ahmed Al Salloom.
“There are around 30 money exchange companies in Bahrain and if they were somehow fully Bahrainised we are looking at 3,000 jobs easily.
“It is around the same for the other sectors we have mentioned in our proposal.”
However, Mr Al Salloom, who is also a Bahrain Chamber board member and chairman of the Bahrain Small and Medium Enterprises Development Society and the Better Life Society, admitted that a blanket ban on expats in all sectors was impractical.
“From where would a small businessman recruit a Bahraini baker, carpenter or mason?” he asked.
“I am not saying there are no Bahrainis qualified for such jobs but they are few and don’t meet the demand.”
Bahrain continues to be a business-friendly country that attracts investors, he said.
“Our issue is that there are qualified Bahrainis who deserve the chance and opportunity to work in their home country,” he said.
“We have around 15,000 unemployed Bahrainis and they can be absorbed in one year in these 35 professions.
“Within a 10-year timeframe, expats in these professions should be replaced with Bahrainis.
“We are not looking to destroy the market and things need to be done gradually.”
Bloc spokesman Khalid Bu Onk explained that exceptions could be granted for certain professions if the responsible minister deems qualified Bahrainis are unavailable.
“However, an agreement with the employer or recruiter should be signed that a qualified Bahraini would be hired when the two-year contract of the expatriate ends,” he said.
“Bahrainis are well-equipped and qualified to take up jobs, especially in sectors from where we want to ban expats. And even if currently there are no Bahrainis to meet the market demand now, the plan should be to have them supplied through local universities, colleges and training institutes.
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
The sectors targeted by the proposal:
- Engineering and interior design
- Educational (school and higher) and training
- Business administration, human resources and marketing.
- Accounting and finance
- Media, public relations, international relations and tourism including hoteliering and aviation
- Health and medical sciences
- Computer science and communications including operators, secretaries, consumer follow-up
- Scientific specialisations including biology, chemistry, physics, crime scene and forensics
- Rights, law and Sharia including lawyers, arbitration, commercial settlements, lawsuits and claims
- Humanities and social sciences including geography, geology, citizenship, history and Islamic studies
- Literature and languages
Top stories for today:
Clamp proposed on hiring expats in 35 professions
Cold and windy weather expected until weekend
Pakistani singer in hospital after crash
&uuid=(email))