Six in 10 jobseekers with degrees are ready to support Bahrain’s economic growth

TDT | Manama

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Around six in 10 jobseekers in Bahrain hold a university degree or higher, Minister of Legal Affairs and Acting Labour Minister, His Excellency Yusuf bin Abdulhussain Khalaf has said.

Meanwhile, almost 100,000 foreign workers have had their work permits renewed more than once.

Khalaf reported that 17,402 jobseekers were registered with the Labour Ministry during 2024.

List

Of these, 4,852 have remained on the list for more than four years, which is about 28 per cent of all registered jobseekers based on 2024 figures.

He said that 6,153 jobseekers have a high school certificate or below, 924 hold diplomas, and 10,325, roughly 60 per cent, have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Women form 81 per cent of diploma-level jobseekers and 81 per cent of those with a bachelor’s degree or above, while men and women are evenly split, at 50 per cent each, among those with secondary education and below.

Replies

The minister’s statements came in written replies to five questions from MP Dr Munir Seroor about unemployment and foreign labour.

The questions covered recent statistics, any occupations treated as unsuitable for Bahrainis, renewals of foreign workers’ permits, how employment data are shared, and the reasons that hold back Bahrainisation.

Khalaf thanked Dr Seroor for his interest in the employment file and said the ministry is working to strengthen the position of Bahraini workers and keep them as employers’ preferred option.

On job categories, he said there are no occupations barred to citizens.

GCC guide

He explained that the unified list of job titles used across the relevant government bodies follows the GCC guide for the description and classification of occupational titles and job coding.

The choice of job title, he added, is agreed between the worker and the employer when the employment contract is signed and when social insurance and employment requests are lodged.

Vacancies are posted on the National Employment Platform at the employer’s request, and the ministry checks each vacancy against approved criteria before it is opened for jobseekers to nominate themselves.

Permits

On foreign workers’ permits, Khalaf said that 99,279 workers have had their work permits renewed more than once, according to the latest approved data from the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA).

He noted that the Labour Ministry is working to tilt costs in favour of Bahraini workers through wage support schemes.