Among them, 2,995 are working with outsourcing temporary contracts and 1,142 with temporary one-year contracts.
He stated in a written answer to a question in parliament that the number of expatriates in the public sector was far lower than the Bahrainis who number 38,508.
The recruitment of expatriates is limited in the public sector. The expatriates are holding certain occupations which are either in less demand among the Bahraini nationals or require specific qualifications and skills.
Long-term employment does not apply on foreign workers as the ministry continues its efforts to search for local manpower. It is in this context that Bahrainisation in most public organisations are more than 91 per cent.
“We employ foreign workers in specialised positions as engineers, physicians, lawyers, accountants, educators and IT experts after failing to find Bahrainis with the required qualifications,” Shaikh Ahmed explained.
“To attract Bahraini manpower, ads for job vacancies in the public sector are published in all local newspapers.”
The medical sector in Bahrain depends on expatriates, especially because of the shortage of Bahraini nurses, while in other posts, the government recruits expatriates. They are assigned to train local manpower to replace foreigners after their training in the job.
Foreign workers are in great demand in the private sector because of their low salaries and willingness to work for odd hours.
