• Report of the second session of the Arab High Level Forum on Sustainable Development May 5-7, 2015 Kingdom of Bahrain

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Training :

Which helps participants identify with the commercial and professional fields in cooperation with accredited training institutions. Training also enlightens trainees with the factors that may affect their projects, help them figure out how to manage the resources available for them and how to prepare an effective business plan and start-up budget. .

Employment (job) fairs:

During 2016, the Ministry has adopted a new policy for recruitment operations by organizing specialized job fairs and exhibitions. These fairs are mainly hold for introducing quality job opportunities and value-added jobs with a financial reward to achieve job stability for Bahraini labour. Such exhibitions also pave the way for competition between owners of similar industries or activities for displaying their vacancies simultaneously and benefiting from the organizational services and supporting programs provided by the Ministry. Moreover, these exhibitions also provide an opportunity for job seekers to compare between offered vacancies to select among them according to their specializations from one hand, and an opportunity for employers to select the suitable candidates according to needed specialties from the other. In this regard, a number of exhibitions have been hold such as: "the employment exhibition in the automotive sector", and "the employment exhibition in the administrative and supervisory sector", and "The Employment Exhibition for Persons with Disabilities” and the “Employment Exhibition for the Educational Sector”. These exhibitions are considered one of the most prominent activities that provide suitable job opportunities for local citizens through offering a direct communication between representatives of private sector institutions and job seekers.

Training Programs:

The joint cooperation between the Ministry of Labour and Social Development and the Labour Fund (Tamkeen) has contributed to the foundation of a new phase of work integration and shared efforts between both sides, particularly after signing the Memorandum of Understanding between both parties in February 2017. As a result, a set of quality and valuable training and employment opportunities have been encouraged and provided for Bahrainis in the private sector. Moreover, most job seekers benefit from wage and incentives support programs and joint programs in the fields of training and human resource development have been implemented for the aim of encouraging employment, raising competitiveness of the Bahraini worker, raising his efficiency and reducing employment costs incurred compared to foreign workers.

The mutual cooperation between the Ministry and the Labour Market Regulatory Authority has led to an increase in the flow of specific vacancies appropriate for job seekers. Both authorities have cooperated for marketing the employment process of national workers in private sector institutions, and exchanging data weekly and automatically between the Ministry and the Labour Market Regulatory Authority. The objectives of such mutual cooperation are to: update the information and data of institutions in light of the recruitment movement, plan effective marketing operations and encourage hiring Bahrain labour in the occupations required by employers, while offering incentives provided by the Ministry to activate national employment operations in the private sector such as wage subsidies and others.

Providing Decent Work for all:

The Bahraini government pursues for launching initiatives and projects aiming at providing suitable job opportunities for citizens and providing training programs that meet the requirements of labour market to fulfil the national needs for well-trained, empowered and qualified workers. In this regard, the Ministry of Labour is searching for appropriate job opportunities and developing the vocational training system according to a deliberate methodology based on scientific foundations. This has a great impact upon reducing the unemployment rates, developing the vocational training system by adopting a strategy that implies a number of future projects that target the improvement and reformation of labour market to exploit the potential of national cadres. These efforts are exerted within the concern to prepare detailed work plans and programs in support of such objective and in activation of Law No. (17) of 2007 concerning vocational training, Law No. (36) of 2012 concerning labour in the private sector, Decree-Law No. (25) of 1998 regarding private educational and training institutions, and a draft bill on private training institutions which has been transferred by the distinguished Bahraini cabinet’s Resolution to the Supreme Council for the Development of Education And training for authorization.

The current and future strategy includes a set of basic projects to be accomplished by the Ministry in cooperation with Labour Fund “Tamkeen” and the Labour Market Regulatory Authority. The most important projects included can be summed up as follows:

First: Reducing labour costs through implementing wage support programs, raising wages, and increasing incentives granted for employers to support wages for Bahraini labour by up to %70 for the first year, %50 for the second year, and %30 for the third year. This would be adopted for a specified period until the Bahraini worker acquires the necessary experience that ensures his continuity and stability in labour market and his ability to achieve highly competitive rates of productivity.

Second: Providing basic and professional training and qualification to improve the efficiency of Bahraini labour by providing appropriate training programs that meet the needs of employers and exempting job seekers from any administrative fees.

Third: Offering vocational guidance and supervision, as the Ministry introduces career guidance and counselling programs for job seekers; some of which are hold in schools and directed specifically to high school students. Moreover, they are permanent programs and there is a special unit in the Ministry that is responsible for defining the activities and tasks for them.

Fourth: Conducting a study of Bahrainisation for voluntarily qualifying Bahraini labour through a series of employment projects and programs of qualification and training as a vital and complementary step of the employment projects implemented by the Ministry during the past years. This study also aims at diversifying the benefits of Bahrainisation in the various business institutions for preserving vacant national jobs in the private sector for local citizens and exceeding the required rates of Bahrainisation through a set of mandatory measures.

Fifth: Holding employment fairs as previously mentioned. The Ministry of Labour has obtained a new policy for employment by organizing specialized job fairs, which represent gathering points for job seekers and business owners and employers and helps intensify competition in employment and labour markets.

Sixth: Training and qualifying job seekers and applicants particularly those who are registered at the Ministry and represent high school and university graduates as well as dropouts of both genders for different scientific and academic specialties. This initiative is necessary for meeting the needs of labour market in terms of qualified and trained workforce to replace foreign labour in various specialized, technical and professional work fields and through the implementation of different and multiple training projects and programs.

Seventh: Training the national cadres working in the private sector: the government seeks to train Bahraini labour of the private sector institutions in order to improve their capabilities and potential to occupy significant professions in labour markets. In this regard, a set of projects are suggested and adopted; some of which are as follows:

• Training Program with employment opportunities: It is a program designed to employ a group of job seekers after training them and acquiring them several skills within various specializations. The program includes also theoretical and practical training to be received at specialized training institutions and on-the-job training as well so that the job seeker obtains eventually a professional or vocational certificate qualifies him to get recruited with a remunerative salary through the training institution.

• Qualification of new employees: It is a program that provides support for employers and business owners to encourage them train new employees during a period that does not exceed two years from the date of employment. The support is directed to all groups in the form of training programs offered by the Labour Fund (Tamkeen). Some training programs are designed within the light of the needs of the institution according to the results of the analysis process carried out by specialists selected from the Department of Training and Human Resources Development.

• Vocational apprenticeship: It is a professional training program that also includes theoretical and practical training, through which a contract is made between the professional student and the employer, with the intention of learning a trade, a profession or a certain craft during a specific period.

Eighth: Adopting the National project of Labour Market Observatory, as a complementary procedure of the infrastructure projects and necessary initiatives to reform and improve the labour market. The market observatory is a device which collects and manages data and information about the size, components and indicators of labour market. It is a significant project that has been launched in addition to other related projects such as the vocational qualifications, standards and tests project that is designed for training and recruiting the national workforces within the framework of the Kingdom's policy to replace foreign labour with Bahrainis in all fields of business.

The project will also provide accurate and up-to-date data and information on the supply and demand rates of labour market to assist decision makers, business owners and individuals in identifying current and future needs of different skills and specializations, drawing education, training and work policies, as well as helping individuals choose the type of education and training that are compatible with their abilities and the current and future needs of the labour market. Over and above, the project is expected to achieve the following results:

-To develop a comprehensive approach to benefit from the information issued by the Observatory in drafting laws as well as training programs and plans. -To improve the quality of the data available on Bahraini labour market in order to obtain highly-dynamic, renewable and accurate information, detailing the situation of supply and demand in the labour market. -To accurately identify with the labour market gaps in relation to stakeholders and build an ideal model to address the problems faced by the labour market. -To facilitate the decision-making process in the labour market, through obtaining adequate information about it that allows striking a balance between supply and demand with speed and high quality. -To be informed with the available and future job opportunities. This indirectly improves the training outputs and contributes to the maintenance of safe rates of unemployment.

Ninth: Implementing the National Occupational Standards Project: it aims to create a set of national professional standards that cover eleven occupational sectors of the labour market, namely; air conditioning and refrigeration, automotive engineering, civil engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, administration and banking, hospitality and tourism, health and beauty, computer and communications, mechanical engineering, sale and retailing and industry. In this regard, 125 national occupational standards have been developed in cooperation with the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) and through the labour market, which identifies the knowledge, skills and competencies necessary to perform the various tasks and jobs.

Moreover, the project aims to market and spread a series of professional standards that suit each sector, through conducting a host of activities that promote the role of private sector institutions and companies. The project is expected to attain the following results:

-The project will share in the elimination of the gap between the outputs of education and training and the needs of the labour market in terms of knowledge, skills and competencies by the hands of a group of private specialists and technicians. This can be implemented by carrying out a set of activities targeting educational and training authorities in order to design professional certificates needed by the labour market based on the information derived from the National Observatory of Labour Market and according to the national professional standards adopted. This project is currently prepared in cooperation with the “Labour Fund" Tamkeen.

• Professional standards are applied in the day-to-day operations of private sector institutions and companies to serve several goals such as defining job specifications, training needs and performance evaluation standards.

Tenth: Developing the draft of the National Plan for Vocational Guidance and Counselling: the “National Committee for Vocational Counselling and Guidance” has been formed as an implementation of Article (20) of Law No. (17) of 2007 regarding vocational training and the related ministerial decisions implemented. The Committee is in charge of developing the draft of the National Plan for Vocational Guidance and Counselling. The idea of preparing and implementing a national strategic plan for vocational guidance and counselling has emerged, in cooperation with Tamkeen Labour Fund and all relevant parties for the aim of organizing the process of vocational guidance and counselling through uniting all efforts exerted (activities, projects, initiatives, services) by the parties concerned with vocational guidance and counselling. The next step is to monitor and direct these efforts, and distribute roles and tasks upon all parties concerned, which in return, helps provide career counselling and guidance service on a scientific basis by stakeholders for all segments of society beginning from childhood phase to the stages of graduation and recruitment.

In this regard, resolution No. (3) of 2018 has been issued concerning the formation of the National Committee for Vocational Guidance and Counselling and the definition of its specialties. It is worth noting that this project aims to set effective policies to improve the level of vocational counselling and guidance programs and link them to education and training policies as well as the needs of labour market. Eventually, this will directly influence the choices and orientations of job seekers from stages of higher education, passing though the university stage until they finally join the labour market in search for appropriate job opportunities. They can then be fully aware of their capabilities, talents and skills and know how to exploit them in conformity with the actual needs of labour market.

Eleventh: Drawing the general framework of apprenticeship system:

The apprenticeship system combines the theoretical methodologies and information and the practical applications and is usually applied in training / educational institutions that focus upon practical and field training in the workplace (on-the-job training). It extensively provides the student / trainee with an opportunity of acquiring the important information and skills on the one hand and absorption of work ethics on the other hand, based on a training contract signed by the student, the Ministry and the employer. According to the contract, the employer is responsible for training the student/ trainee in order to gain the necessary experience and obtain a decent job opportunity after graduation. This system also addresses other categories of job seekers (holders of high school diplomas and below, and bachelor degree holders) to help them master the basic professional competencies required in the labour market and become highly competitive after completing the program. The training period for completing this program is not less than 6 months and must not exceed 3 years.

Twelfth: Setting the National Professional Levels and Qualifications: this is a complementary step to other strategic projects implemented by relevant education and training authorities under the supervision of the Supreme Council for Education and Training Development and others such as the National Qualifications Frameworks Project and the National Professional Standards for Teachers Project. Professional levels are obtained and used as a tool for determining the professional level of a specific group that possesses the knowledge, skills and competencies required for a specific profession, according to a set of occupational levels descriptors.

An individual is granted a professional certificate that assesses his level after passing the professional exam and completing the training program approved by the donor (the Ministry of Labour) of professional level certificates (professional qualifications). The certificate can also be granted by an individual if he succeeds to prove his ability to possess competencies, skills and knowledge at a specific professional level within the professional levels system.

In confirmation upon the importance of the project, Law No. (17) of 2007 regarding vocational training has been issued. Moreover, articles (4, 5, 6, 11) discuss the different professional levels approved. Accordingly, the idea of granting professional certificates and developing an integrated system for professional levels has been adopted by the National Qualifications Authority.

Thirteenth: Achieving mutual cooperation with Tamkeen: Tamkeen Labour Fund has been established in 2006 to provide support to individuals and institutions alike who wish to launch their individual initiatives, establish their own enterprises, increase their productivity and improve their living standards. The project also serves one of the most important goals of Bahrain Economic vision 2030 which is mainly concerned with sustaining the role of private sector to be one of the main drivers of growth. The Fund’s various training and financing programs are directed towards different groups and segments of society. In addition, it provides consulting services, feasibility studies for individual and collective institutions hand in hand with other studies and consultations to improve the general performance, increase effectiveness, engage in global markets and participate in specialized exhibitions. In view of the changes witnessed by the labour market during the recent years, accompanied by the increasing challenges posed by deteriorating oil prices, and the need for a trained and efficient workforce covering the requirements of labour markets, Tamkeen has started to implement a modern strategy "2018-2020", which targets allocating an annual budget to finance its programs and projects. Among the most prominent projects is the support of 3600 citizens with the necessary practical skills in line with the needs of labour market in terms of some specialties such as technology, health, hospitability, business administration, aviation and aviation engineering. The fund has also supported about 1500 entrepreneurs to run projects and create suitable employment and production opportunities, as well as promoting nearly 4,000 enterprises to be able to absorb modern developments in the labour market and deal with them with greater openness and vision. The fund addresses entrepreneurs and owners of small and medium enterprises that represent nearly %99 of Bahraini companies and %70 of the workforce in the kingdom. Thanks to the remarkable support of the fund, Bahrain has maintained high ranking on the scale of the Global Entrepreneurial Index (EI) issued by the International Institute for Entrepreneurship and Development, for it has come in the 29th place globally and the 3rd place among the Arab countries in 2016.

Fourteenth: Protecting migrant labour (expatriate labour)

The national legislations adopted in the field of labour and other relevant areas provide the necessary legal protection for migrant labour in terms of regulating labour relations according to the international labour standards. In this regard, the official bodies exert their outmost efforts to monitor and control the application of the established legal principles. Moreover, labour inspection departments of the Ministry of Labour and the Labour Market Regulatory Authority also seek to control any practices or over-exploitation of migrant workers in the labour market.

In order to protect migrant labour in particular, the Kingdom has provided many support services for migrant workers to seek in the event of facing arbitrary practices by employers, such as the mechanisms for submitting individual complaints to the Ministry of Labour for amicable settlement. Simultaneously, migrant labour has the right to seek direct judiciary protection with exemption from litigation fees at all stages. Over and above, the Kingdom of Bahrain has provided centres for direct contact in the Labour Market Regulatory Authority that operate in several languages for migrants who are allowed to check the status of their work permits (visas) through various electronic ways in order to ensure that employers adhere to the terms of licensing visas issued to them. The Labour Market Regulatory Authority has issued public awareness publications in fourteen different languages to be distributed upon migrant workers before they step into the Kingdom. These publications and brochures display the workers’ rights and duties, and have been distributed in cooperation with the embassies of the countries approved in Bahrain. These publications can also be distributed to migrant labour upon arrival at the kingdom’s airport.

In the field of protecting migrant labour, Kingdom of Bahrain has taken the following steps:

• As a leading step in the area, the national legislations have recognized the migrant labour’s right to transfer from one employer to another without the consent of the current employer whom the labour works for in accordance with the fair controls imposed by law. In this context, more than 35 thousand migrant labour during 2015 and more than 24 thousand workers during 2016 have been approved to move from one employer to another according to the mentioned system.

• The kingdom has also applied a flexible system for work permits, which has been practically implemented since mid-July 2017. This system allows for any migrant labour working under unfair conditions to independently apply to obtain a personal work permit without the necessity to have the employer’s consent, according to the established regulations, and thus he can escape any over exploitation. It also provides him with all aspects of legal care and protection. According to this system, migrant workers are allowed to sign temporary work contracts enjoying all the privileges and rights stipulated by labour law in the private sector. Some of these rights are: freedom of movement and change of the employer. This system is expected to share in modifying the situation of a large segment of irregular migrants in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and thus, allow them to benefit from the systems of social insurance, unemployment insurance, health care and other national systems. A number of embassies of Asian exporting countries have expressed their appreciation for this system and its privileges provided to their foreign workers in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

• The Kingdom of Bahrain has recently launched the "National Referral System for victims of Trafficking" which aims to impose measures of anti-trafficking for humans as well as clarify and regulate the role of the various bodies and mechanisms for dealing with any case of trafficking or similar suspected cases. The system includes an organizational aspect that implies the tasks, responsibilities, competencies and roles of specialized committees and relevant parties. In addition, there is another procedural aspect of the system that focuses on the illustrative maps of the operations, the individuals in charge of each procedure and the forms used sequentially according to their presence in the operations. These procedures facilitate the process of sorting complaints introduced by labour by type, whether they are related to labour issues or trafficking issues or ordinary complaints and only within half an hour. The sorted complaints are then transferred to the competent authorities, represented by the Ministry of Interior, the Labour Market Regulatory Authority, the Public Prosecution, or the labour courts in order to be considered and the needed assistance and support can be provided to victims. The cases are closed only after completing all the necessary legal and administrative procedures.

• The Kingdom has also allowed all labour to benefit from the insurance against unemployment system without any prejudices in terms of categories or nationalities to protect the labour from any humiliating situations during the period of his unemployment.

• Migrant labour, like national labour, similarly has the right to be represented in front of all trade and labour unions regardless of their nationalities. They also have the right to go on strikes to defend their legitimate interests, devote their efforts to carry out trade union activities, and protect union members from separation because of their union activities.

• Domestic labour is subject to the basic provisions contained in the labour law in terms of adhering to the conditions and terms of labour contracts, protection of wages, annual vacations, end of service rewards and exemption from litigation fees on domestic labour inside the Kingdom of Bahrain during all judicial stages.

• The Kingdom of Bahrain has recently created a special unit to support and protect migrant workers, and it is considered the first comprehensive centre in the region to support and protect foreign employment according to the international standards approved. It includes a shelter centre that provides integrated services for migrant workers of both genders that have been victims of employers’ exploitation. The unit is equipped with a 24-hour contact number and it introduces services in seven different languages. During 2016, more than 670 migrant labour of various nationalities have benefited from the services of the centre receiving all types of advisory and health services, in addition to reforming the legal conditions for those who wish to remain in the Kingdom of Bahrain for obtaining decent job opportunities.

• The Labour Market Regulatory Authority introduces free Mobile phone SIM cards to migrant workers, in order to remain in constant contact with them and get informed with any new developments about their work licenses and legal status inside the Kingdom. The authority uses the SMS messages service for communicating with labour via mobile phones, and these messages are sent in the labour’s language. The total number of phone SIM cards that have been distributed since the service has been activated in 2014 and till the end of 2016 has amounted to approximately 302 thousand, of which 117,213 SIMs in 2016, 94,521 SIMs in 2015, and 90,572 SIMs in 2014.

• The Labour Market Regulatory Authority has developed and distributed more than 200,000 copies of the Expatriate Employee Services Guide, which provides detailed explanations on the procedures and laws adopted in the Kingdom of Bahrain, along with the possible means for introducing grievances and complaints and correcting legal statuses. This Guide has been printed in thirteen different languages including (Arabic, English, Chinese, Indonesian, Filipino, Pakistani (Urdu), Hindi, Nepalese, Thai, Bengali, Turkish, Malayalam, Sri Lankan). The concerned authorities constantly communicate with the embassies of foreign countries to solve any problems facing their migrant workers for the purpose of helping them to amend their conditions and allowing them to keep their jobs inside the Kingdom.

The Kingdom of Bahrain has also launched an integrated campaign to modify and improve the irregular conditions of employers and foreign labour (the residence period) in front of competent authorities without imposing any penalties upon workers violating the terms of work and residence permits. The most recent campaign has been adopted from July to December 2015 lasting for 6 months. This campaign has successfully contributed to the improvement of the conditions of 51,000 workers who have preferred to transfer to a new employer and stay in the Kingdom or voluntary return to his country.

In addition, the Kingdom of Bahrain has provided a number of mechanisms for expatriate workers to file complaints or resort to the judiciary, whether through their embassies, trade union organizations or civil society organizations such as the National Human Rights Committee, or by directly seeking the protection of the relevant agencies of the Ministry of Labour. A single act of discrimination against expatriate labour has not been documented in the country, nor did any of the embassies of the exporting countries have claimed any negative practices of exploitation against their migrant labour by employers.

Fifteenth: Employing persons with disabilities through the career empowerment program offered by the Ministry of Labour and it is applied by the Disabled Services Centre "You Are Not Alone" to help them obtain a suitable job and keep it. The program lasts for 29 weeks divided into six main stages for the disabled to go through and they are: registration, job evaluation, training and acquiring skills, job search, nomination and employment. During the last stage, a professional trainer assesses the general situation of the disabled within his work environment to analyse the difficulties he may encounter and prevent him from executing his functions appropriately, help him overcome these difficulties and encourage him to develop and improve his capabilities and skills.

The Ministry also takes several initiatives to promote the employment of persons with disabilities, including the Job Fair for People with Disabilities that has been organized by the Ministry in September 2017 and December 2018. Such fairs are regarded one of the most important activities that provide appropriate job opportunities for citizens with disabilities by facilitating a direct meeting between representatives of private sector institutions and job seekers. The Ministry is also currently preparing a study to provide a bundle of new incentives to institutions that encourage and initiate the employment of persons with disabilities.

Ensuring safety and security for all labour

The government of the Kingdom of Bahrain is always keen on supporting and adopting all measures that protect workers of all categories and in various production sites, and to ensure their safety from occupational diseases and injuries within the context of its concern for protecting the human rights in general, and its impact on productivity levels in particular.

In this regard, the Occupational Safety and Health Department of the Ministry of Labour monitors the application of safety and occupational health procedures in private sector institutions. It also supervises the compliance of these institutions with the approved standards to ensure the safety of labour at work places and in accordance with the National Labour Law No. (36) of 2012, and all relevant international agreements. The department undertakes further educational and awareness steps regarding all matters related to these procedures.

It is also worth mentioning that the level of compliance with labour rights (such as the freedom of establishing associations and collective bargaining) of any country is based on the legislations of International Labour Organization as well as other national regulations, defined by the gender and status of migrants. Article (27) of the Bahraini constitution states: “The freedom to form associations and unions, on national principles, for lawful objectives and by peaceful means, is guaranteed under the rules and conditions laid down by law, provided that the fundamentals of the religion and public order are not infringed. No one can be forced to join any association or union or to continue as a member.”

In addition, Law No. (33) of 2002 on trade unions regulates and organizes the work of trade unions in all technical and administrative aspects while Article (3) of the Trade Union Law prohibits any act of discrimination for the purpose of influencing labour by any means due to union works.