Bahraini Hiring Drives Financial Sector Job Growth

TDT | Manama

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Bahraini workers accounted for all of the net job growth in the financial sector in the first three months of 2026, as the workforce rose to 14,880 and Bahrainisation hit 70 pc despite the march towards digital banking.

The number of Bahrainis working across the industry climbed by 97 in three months, from 10,321 to 10,418, while the number of foreign workers fell by one to 4,462, according to Central Bank of Bahrain figures.

Total employment rose by 96 from 14,784 in the final quarter of 2025. The figures show hiring holding up even as bank branches dwindle and customers shift towards apps, online transfers and contactless payments.

Bahrainisation has risen quarter by quarter. It stood at 69.5 pc in the second quarter of 2025, 69.7 pc in the third and 69.8 pc in the fourth before reaching 70 pc at the end of March.

Banks employed 7,235 people in the first quarter, up from 7,208 three months earlier. Bahrainis held 5,715 of those jobs, including 3,419 men and 2,296 women. Another 1,520 posts were held by foreign workers, comprising 1,276 men and 244 women.

Retail banks employed 5,204 people, up from 5,183, while wholesale banks had 2,001 workers, against 1,996 in the previous quarter. Representative offices employed 30 people.

Jobs also rose outside banking. The non-bank financial sector employed 6,907 people, up from 6,875, including 4,084 Bahrainis and 2,823 foreign workers.

Insurance and reinsurance companies had 1,556 employees, of whom 1,188 were Bahraini and 368 were foreign workers. Firms working in insurance-related activities employed another 981 people.

Financial-sector support bodies recorded one of the sharpest gains, with staff numbers rising from 701 to 738. Investment business firms moved the other way, with employment slipping from 688 to 685.

Women held 5,115 jobs across the financial sector. Bahrainis accounted for 4,168 of them, or roughly 81.5 pc of the female workforce.

The rise comes as banking habits keep moving away from the counter. During the second half of 2025, the average daily number of Fawri+ transactions rose 9.6 pc from a year earlier, while average ATM transactions fell 15.1 pc.

Point-of-sale and e-commerce transaction volumes climbed 18.3 pc over the same period. Contactless payments made up 78.1 pc of point-of-sale transactions.

Yet the longer view is flatter. The sector employed 14,892 people in the first quarter of 2025, 12 above the latest figure. The latest numbers therefore show a quarter-on-quarter rebound rather than year-on-year job growth, with the rise driven by Bahraini hiring.