Lawmakers push for 2% disability hiring rule

TDT | Manama

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A 2 per cent hiring quota for people with disabilities is back in focus for MPs after Parliament yesterday backed an urgent proposal calling on the government to activate the Higher Committee for the Care of Persons with Disabilities and speed up recruitment.

The move centres on Article 11 of the Law on the Care, Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities, which requires private-sector employers to reserve 2 per cent of jobs for persons with disabilities.

MPs want the Higher Committee to act as a link between the Labour Ministry and the Social Development Ministry so the law is applied more closely and hiring is tracked in a clear, coordinated way.

Under the proposal, the Higher Committee would co-ordinate policy between the two ministries, bring together records of qualified jobseekers and vacancies, and follow up on how companies meet their legal quota.

The aim is to have one working system through which progress can be checked, rather than separate databases and slow exchanges of information.

The proposal was submitted by MPs Mohsen Al Asboul, Dr Hesham Al Ashiri, Dr Ali Al Nuaimi, Jaleela Al Sayed and Mahmood Al Fardan.