MPs have backed a move to put Bahrainis first in hiring, arguing it’s the only way to get a grip on unemployment and stop businesses from taking the easy route by hiring cheaper expat workers.
The proposal, backed by a joint committee of the Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee and the Services Committee, is part of a wider push to get locals into jobs. Tamkeen’s efforts alone have seen 5,400 Bahrainis hired, with another 4,900 put through training schemes.
Supporters
Second Deputy Speaker Ahmed Qarata, Jameel Mulla Hassan, Mohammed Al Olaiwi, Hisham Al Awadhi, and Mohammed Al Rifai are among those driving the move.
They argue it’s about making sure Bahrainis get a fair go, rather than being muscled out of their own job market. But, they say, the shift needs to be gradual, not a sudden change that leaves businesses floundering.
Unemployment
MP Al Olaiwi was blunt. Unemployment, he said, is a problem getting worse, not better.
Every year, thousands of Bahraini graduates leave university with nowhere to go.
“We are a small country of just 750,000 people, yet we still haven’t sorted this out, while our neighbours have managed to,” he said, calling jobs a basic right, just like housing, healthcare, and education.
Worry
Beyond job shortages, MPs are worried about how hard it is for families to make ends meet.
Al Olaiwi said many people struggle to get past the first week of the month before running out of cash.
“People chase us to our cars with CVs — even at weddings and funerals,” he said. “Every household has someone looking for work, and we are sick of asking for change that never comes.”
Priority
The Civil Service Bureau says Bahraini workers are already given priority in government jobs, with expats only brought in when no locals fit the bill.
Foreign workers in the public sector are also required to pass on their knowledge before their contracts run out.
The Ministry of Labour, which oversees private sector jobs, pointed to existing plans like the Government Action Plan (2023-2026), the Economic Recovery Plan (2021), and the National Labour Market Plan, all designed to encourage businesses to hire locals.
Investment
The ministry argues that while it’s working to boost Bahraini employment, it can’t ignore the need for a job market open enough to keep investment flowing.
Wage subsidies and training schemes, it says, are there to help businesses transition.
The Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) backed this view, saying firms already have to look at local hires before bringing in foreign workers.
Policy
The new push, it argued, is in step with current policy rather than a major shift.
Meanwhile, Tamkeen, Bahrain’s main employment and training body, pointed to its wage subsidies, leadership courses, and job-matching schemes.
Since early last year, it has helped more than 5,400 Bahrainis into jobs and trained nearly 4,900.
