*** ----> MPs say the new job bill provides a single remedy to fix several problems faced by citizens | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

MPs say the new job bill provides a single remedy to fix several problems faced by citizens

A list of jobs will be reserved for Bahrainis if the draft proposal that was unanimously approved by the House of Representatives yesterday, becomes a law.

The proposal aimed at improving the lives of citizens attains great significance in light of expatriates earning over BD$4.2 billion in salaries last year alone.

MP Mohammad Milad said yesterday that the draft proposal will be submitted to the Government to prepare a draft law within six months. This draft law will be then submitted back to the Council for final approval.

According to the Central Informatics Organisation, the number of foreign residents in Bahrain has reached more than 823,000, accounting for 55 per cent of the total population.

The number of expatriate workers officially registered at the General Organisation for Social Insurance (GOSI) stand at 504,000, all working in the private sector and their salaries last year exceeded BD1.4bn.

According to GOSI, more than 18,000 expatriate employees receive a monthly salary of BD1,000 or above.

In the public sector, the Ministry of Finance said that the government paid BD186 million in salaries to non-Bahraini employees last year.

According to the statistics supplied by the Central Bank of Bahrain, the remittances from the kingdom amounted to more than BD927m (equivalent to US$2.4 billion) last year.

MP Adel Hameed said most of the unemployed Bahrainis have university degrees and this draft proposal has measures to tackle the problem of unemployment among citizens.