Labour Minister: 2,200 Firms Used Parallel Bahrainisation System Up to Oct 2025

More than 2,200 businesses used Bahrain’s parallel Bahrainisation system up to October 2025, Labour Minister Yousef Khalaf has told Parliament, with revenues from the scheme reaching about BD26.5 million since January 2023.

In a written reply to MP Mohammed Salman Al Ahmed, Khalaf said 2,200 establishments used the system over the past year up to October. The total was 2,394 in 2023 and 2,308 in 2024. He said work permits issued through the system numbered 37,976 up to October 2025, after 44,030 in 2023 and 44,476 in 2024.

Khalaf said the fee is an extra charge paid by an employer who asks for a work permit for expat staff without meeting the Bahrainisation ratio set for the business.

He said around BD850,000 was returned to employers over the same period. Refunds stood at BD188,013 in 2023, rose to BD358,612 in 2024, then reached BD301,833 up to October 2025.

The minister said the fee, like other charges tied to bringing in expat workers, is returned only in two cases: if the worker moves to another employer, or if the work permit is cancelled before the worker arrives in Bahrain. He cited Article 1 of Decision No. 28 of 2002 on the refund of work-permit fees.

Khalaf said there are no exemptions from the parallel system under Cabinet Decision No. 27 of 2016 on certain fees collected by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority, as amended by Cabinet Decision No. 2 of 2019. He said this means all employers pay the extra fee when they seek permits for expat workers without meeting their Bahrainisation ratio, leaving no special rules or plans linked to exemptions.

He added that Parliament’s interest in the figures was welcomed, describing the system as one tool used to back efforts to raise the share of Bahrainis in the labour market, alongside other plans and joint work between the executive and legislative authorities.