Labour Fund to conduct study on skills gap in Bahrain's labour market

Notes and media contacts

The Labour Fund

The Kingdom of Bahrain has taken vital steps towards a labour market reform which is an essential stride to ensure that the human capital of the country is developed and that employment is made more attractive for localization as well as to improve performances of businesses. The strive towards labour reform will impact the Kingdom's economy and raise standards of living as well as pose a challenging commitment to the improvement of services in Bahrain.

The Labour Fund is a semi-autonomous yet independent authority which formulates strategic and operational plans to use the fees collected by the LMRA in order to enhance the overall prosperity of Bahrain by investing in Bahraini employability, job creation, and social support. Hence, the Labour Fund's main objectives are (i) to support Bahrainis to become the employees of choice, and (ii) to support high quality private sector job creation and helping the private sector cope with the impact of labour market reform.

To achieve these objectives, the LF will invest (i) in the cost and quality competitiveness of Bahrainis (e.g., reduction of cost of employing Bahrainis relative to expatriates, investment in skills and work ethic development programs of Bahrainis) and tackle employment barriers on both employer and labour market entrants sides through a combination of financial incentives and capability building, and (ii) in supporting the private sector's adjustment to new cost structures by providing access to capital to alleviate short-term cash constraints or improve productivity, and in know-how initiatives that support improvements in productivity and decreased reliance on expatriate labour through spreading management and technical knowledge.

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Ernst & Young is the oldest professional services firm in the Kingdom of Bahrain, operating since 1923. The office has over 330 members of staff of which more than 50% are qualified Bahraini professionals who provide a range of services to public and private organizations including oil and gas, banking, manufacturing and commercial companies.

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