Manama: Mahmood Rafique, Editor: Under the National Employment Programme for 2021 there will be 25000 new jobs with major initiative of offering 10,000 training opportunities to close the skill gaps.
This came as HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa chaired the weekly Cabinet meeting.
The Cabinet began by expressing its appreciation to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for following up on the conditions of the Bahraini seafarers detained in Qatar until their safe return to the Kingdom, as part of the care and eagerness to guarantee the rights of all citizens consistently provided by His Majesty. The Cabinet also expressed its appreciation to the Sultanate of Oman for its role in this matter.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister directed for the launch of the second version of the National Employment Programme, which aims to create 25,000 jobs in 2021 and provide 10,000 training opportunities annually, in order to further progress made making Bahraini citizens the ideal choice for local employment.
The National Employment Program 2.0 will be based on three main initiatives, namely the allocation of a budget of 120 million Dinars from the Labour Fund ‘Tamkeen’ for three years (2021-2023), double what has been allocated during the past five years, to support the employment of Bahrainis through the wage support program, while increasing the amount and duration of support extended to those registered with the Ministry of Labour and Social Development and new entrants into the labour market. The second initiative includes extending the period of announcing vacancies before the recruitment of non-Bahraini workers from two to three weeks, and the third initiative is based on tightening security measures regarding irregular workers, in addition to continuing the initiatives set out in the program’s first version.
The Cabinet welcomed the statement issued by the White House designating the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates as major strategic partners, adding that this increases the impetus to further this partnership with the US, which has achieved notable success in confronting regional and global challenges.
The Cabinet discussed a number of memorandums during the meeting, and outlined the approval of the following memorandums:
1. A memorandum from the Ministerial Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs and Fiscal Balance regarding the National Employment Program 2.0.
2. A memorandum from the Ministerial Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs and Fiscal Balance on the sustainability of pension funds, which includes measures that will be taken to implement the six urgent reforms to extend the life of pension funds until 2078, in addition to increasing the pensions of retirees less than 500 Dinars by 3% for this year. This is in light of the views of the Council of Representatives and prior discussions that took place on the government’s letter, which included the six aforementioned urgent recommendations.
3. A memorandum from the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding the Articles of Association of the Gulf Petrochemical Industry Company, including amendments related to some of the company’s shares and activities.
4. A memorandum from the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding amending some provisions for the establishment of the Strategic and Spectrum Coordination Committee, establishing the committee as the relevant party for radio communications in implementing the provisions of the Telecommunications Law.
5. A memorandum from the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding regulation of licensing for private institutions in the youth and sports sector to accept grants and donations, and the issuance of a legal instrument allowing the Ministry of Youth and Sports and its Minister to accept these grants and donations.
6. A memorandum of the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding the amendment of the procedures manual for selling special registration numbers, and the amendment of two ministerial decisions related to the Traffic Law.
7. A memorandum of the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs on the cooperation mechanism between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union’s External Action Authority, aimed towards enhancing the exchange of information and consultation between the two entities.
8. A memorandum from the Ministerial Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs and Fiscal Balance on building a comprehensive social centre in the Capital Governorate in cooperation with the private sector.
9. A memorandum from the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding the government’s response to six proposals submitted by the Council of Representatives.
