Limit Foreign Work Permits, Says MP

Limiting work permits for foreign workers and hiring more Bahrainis are the best ways to cut the flow of remittances abroad and keep wages spent inside the Kingdom, MP Dr Muneer Seroor has said.

Dr Seroor said Bahrainisation would keep money circulating in the local economy and raise cash levels in the market.

He made the call during a visit to the Labour Ministry, where he met staff from the employment, unemployment compensation and support, and labour relations departments.

The MP said Bahrainisation must be measured in jobs, not quotas.

Employers’ needs should be matched with Bahraini jobseekers, while skills gaps should be tackled through job-focused training, he said. Bahrainis should be given priority for jobs when they have the skills needed, or can be trained for the role.

Talks also covered ways to speed up hiring, improve work inside the ministry, keep jobseeker records up to date and tackle social barriers that put some people off certain kinds of work.

Unemployment payments, court rulings in favour of jobseekers, job security and giving Bahrainis greater priority in the labour market were also discussed.

Dr Seroor called for closer work between Parliament and the ministry on laws that help create jobs, along with training schemes that lead jobseekers into well-paid work.

He also urged checks on any hiring practices that deny Bahrainis a fair chance at work or leave them without job security.

During the visit, he congratulated the ministry’s new leaders and said its work should be judged by the results citizens get.

That includes the process for a jobseeker, from signing up and being matched with vacancies to training, interviews and finding a suitable, stable job.

‘Job creation, worker protection and job stability are a public responsibility that requires everyone to work together,’ Dr Seroor said.

‘There is no alternative to Bahrainising jobs, even gradually, if we are to close the gap in the labour market.’