By SOMAN BABY

THE number of foreign workers in Bahrain shot up by a record 18.8 per cent in the first quarter of this year, over the same time last year.
The figure soared by 71,000 over the same quarter last year, Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) officials announced at a Press conference.
The total number of people employed in Bahrain at the end of March hit 596,224, representing an annual growth of 16.5pc, said LMRA Policy Directorate vice-president Mohammed Dito and policy development manager Nedhal Al Banna.
The number of Bahrainis employed totalled 142,642 and non-Bahrainis 453,582.
The annual increase in Bahraini employment was 9.8pc, the highest growth rate since LMRA started to monitor Bahraini employment last year, said officials.
The LMRA issued 34,463 new work visas during the first quarter of this year, of which 50pc was in the construction sector, said Mr Dito.
“This is 7.9pc increase over the same period last year,” he added.
“This contradicts certain reports which say many people are leaving Bahrain because of the recession.
“In fact, the number of foreigners taking up new jobs in Bahrain has been on a steady increase.”
The number of work visas renewed during the first quarter was 26,499, an 11.3pc increase over the same time last year.
The Bahrainisation level dropped by 1.5pc to 23.9pc.
This was the result of the combination of an increase in non-Bahraini workers in the construction and trade sectors, against an increase in Bahraini employment in the financial sector, said Mr Al Banna.
Average monthly wages across all sectors stood at BD307.
Bahraini median wages across the public and private sectors increased to BD413 from BD402 in the last quarter of last year.
The number of jobseekers receiving benefits under the Labour Ministry’s unemployment insurance scheme was 1,815 in the first quarter of this year, while the total number of unemployed reached 5,034. The total number of job vacancies registered at the ministry was 6,413, during this period, representing an increase of 27pc compared to the previous quarter.