By SOMAN BABY

MANAMA: Employment in Bahrain shot up by 10.5 per cent during the third quarter of this year, it was revealed yesterday.

Most of the jobs went to expatriates, with Bahraini employment up by 3.5pc, compared to a 4.1pc growth in the previous quarter, said the report published in the Bahraini Labour Market newsletter.

Non-Bahraini employment grew by 13pc, taking the total of expatriates employed to 417,389.

Total employment stands at 552,107, including 134,718 Bahrainis, says the newsletter, published by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority.

The number of new work visas issued during the quarter, excluding visas for domestic workers, investors and temporary workers, was 9,013.

The number of work visas renewed was 13,510.

The report said the total Bahrainisation level dropped by 1.7pc to 24.4pc, with 20.9pc of this in the private sector and 79.9pc in the public sector

The number of Bahraini job-seekers who registered for the unemployment insurance scheme dropped by 26pc to 2,974 during the third quarter, while the private sector hired 2,092 Bahrainis.

Average monthly wages increased to BD341 per month. The wage differential between Bahraini and non-Bahraini workers reached BD265 per month. Fifty per cent of the Bahraini workers were earning less than BD409 per month.