9,685 jobseekers offered ‘three interviews’ each, says Labour Ministry

The Ministry of Labour says it has completed offering “three job opportunities” to 9,685 registered jobseekers by 7 December 2025, under a directive issued on 28 September that ordered three opportunities for each jobseeker by the end of the year. The ministry defined the “three opportunities” as “three or more interviews with an employer at the ministry building”.

In a written response to MP Hassan Ebrahim, the ministry said 3,685 jobseekers had been hired through the opportunities offered under the directive by 7 December, adding that it only counts a hire once the person is recorded as an insured worker with the Social Insurance Organisation (SIO). It said the number is expected to rise as companies complete contracts and other hiring steps. The ministry said 2,516 establishments had posted vacancies on the National Employment Platform since the directive, and referred to an annex listing job titles and the average salary for each vacancy during the period covered.

Roles

The annex tables show the mix of roles being posted, with large blocks of openings in front-line work such as service roles, sales, cashiers and drivers, alongside smaller numbers of higher-skilled roles including accountants, lawyers and programming posts.

The tables also include a limited number of senior jobs, including a single director-general for finance vacancy listed with a monthly salary of BD3,000. The reply also set out the size of the jobseeker pool. The ministry put the total number of registered jobseekers in 2024 at 17,402, including 12,196 women and 5,206 men.

Degrees

It said 10,325 were listed as holding a bachelor’s degree or higher, 924 held diplomas, and 6,153 had secondary education or below. To meet the year-end deadline, the ministry said it extended working hours from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, prepared extra interview space, added parking, and increased staffing to guide jobseekers.

It also said it coordinated with the Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA) to support capacity for services linked to the platform, including the eKey and government notifications. On how vacancies are handled, the ministry said it checks roles before they appear on the platform, including pay level, qualification and specialisation.

Platform

It said jobseekers apply themselves through the platform and that the system does not allow applications that do not match the employer’s stated qualification or specialisation. It said interview invitations are sent through government notifications via multiple channels, and that interviews are held at the ministry with a staff member present. Jobseekers can also view a record of the jobs they applied for through their platform account, it added.

On job retention, the ministry said wage support falls to 30 per cent in the third year and labour-supply tenders are excluded from wage support. It also said it does not open new vacancies on the platform for establishments that dismiss Bahrainis for reasons linked to wage support.