A total of 8,322 Bahraini jobseekers found work in the first four months of this year.

Labour and Social Development Minister Jameel Humaidan told MPs during Parliament’s weekly session yesterday that the economy was recovering fast from the impact of Covid-19 with an increase in demand for Bahraini employees.

“We have set up special teams to co-ordinate with all major companies involved in development projects to employ Bahrainis,” he said.

“Other teams have been formed with the Economic Development Board to market Bahrainis to companies with foreign investment.

“There are plans to provide 5,000 training opportunities this year in partnership with 83 training centres, institutes and organisations.”

The minister revealed that businesses had asked to sack 906 Bahrainis, but only 212 were let go due to Covid-19.

“In comparison, 3,223 expats were dismissed,” he added.

“There is a huge demand for Bahrainis and the 25,000 end-of-year employment target will be achieved.“Dismissals in the private sector dropped by nine per cent compared with 2019 despite the pandemic.”

The local workforce was protected from dismissal through special wage support from April to December last year.

Mr Humaidan, who was present remotely to respond to two questions by MPs Ahmed Al Salloom and Abdulla Al Dossary on employment levels and pay, said average monthly wage of Bahrainis in the private sector jumped by BD70 in five years to BD760 by the third quarter of 2020.

The average pay was BD690 in 2016, BD710 in 2017, BD723 in 2018 and BD740 in 2019.

He said there were 105,000 Bahraini workers in the private sector by the end of last year, which is 69 per cent of the total national workforce with the remaining 31pc being civil servants.

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