“There has been a decline in jobs for Bahraini’s in the private sector and the percentage of Bahrainisation in the sector has dropped. In 2004, the percentage of Bahraini’s in the private sector was 27 per cent. It dropped to 24 per cent in 2005 and in 2006 it was further reduced to 21 per cent,” he said.
The deputy who has promised to tackle the issue is expected to question the Minister of Labour in parliament in the next session. “According to the figures, there are only 65,614 Bahraini’s employed in the private sector while the number of Non-Bahrainis stands at 247,425.”
The Minister of Labour, Dr Majeed bin Mohsen Al Alawi, said at a Press conference last year that unemployment rate has dropped from 15 to 4 per cent.
“There are 6,700 vacancies in various ministries and more will be created in the future,” he said.
The Deputy from Al Wefaq bloc said that despite claims by the Labour Ministry that jobs are being created, the situation is alarming.
“The population of Bahrain has grown by about three per cent in 2006. The largest proportion of this percentage is below 15 years. Hundreds are graduating and entering the market but there are no jobs.” Hussein said.
Speaking about the public sector, Dr Jassim said that the sector was overstaffed and there was no room for growth. He said that despite privatisation and early retirement schemes, there is a dearth of jobs for citizens in the private sector.
