Bahrain’s foreign worker employment rose to 460,352 at the end of the second quarter of 2009 from 396,918 in Q2 last year, but the annual rate of increase has slowed down to 16 per cent, compared to 18.8 per cent in the previous quarter, according to a report
The total number of employed persons in Bahrain at the end of 2009 Q2 was 599,017, representing an annual growth rate of 13 per cent, showed data from the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA).
Bahraini employment reached 138,665, representing an annual growth of 4 per cent compared with the situation in the same quarter, a year earlier.
Average monthly wages of all workers have remained essentially constant for two consecutive quarters at 305 BD.
LMRA issued 27,665 new work visas during 2009 Q2, representing a drop of 37.4 per cent compared with the same quarter a year ago. The share of new work visas in the construction sector has dropped to 31 per cent and significantly increased in small establishments (less than 10 workers) to 44 per cent.
The total number of new visas issued by LMRA during 2009 Q2 was 36,362, of which 7,582 were for dependents. Compared with the preceding quarter, the number of work visas issued by LMRA witnessed a significant decrease in 2009 Q2: 27,665 work visas for regular workers against 34,463 in 2009 Q1; 1,013 temporary work visas against 2,340; and 192 investor visas against 195.
The total number of visa renewals was 38,309 in 2009 Q2 of which 8,324 were for dependents. In contrast with new work visas, the number of renewals considerably increased during 2009 Q2 for all types of work visas: 29,334 renewals for regular workers against 26,499 in 2009 Q1.
The total number of termination applications made by employers was 18,225 (15,285 for regular workers, 4 for investors, 657 for temporary workers and 2,279 for dependents). Compared with the previous quarter, there has been a slight decrease (5.5 per cent) in the total number of terminations in 2009 Q2.
The economic sector with the highest number of new work visas for regular workers was construction (31 per cent), followed by wholesale and retail trade (22 per cent), and manufacturing (18 per cent).
The median wages of Bahraini employees has increased from BD413 last quarter to BD429 in 2009 Q2. Bahraini median wages in the public sector was BD507 per month, representing an increase of 3 per cent compared with the value in the same quarter a year ago. In the private sector, the increase was more significant (8.9 per cent), with the Bahraini median wages reaching BD305 per month.
The labour cost gap between Bahraini and non-Bahraini workers in the target sectors (construction, trade, hotels and restaurants and small scale manufacturing) reached BD219, representing a narrowing of the gap by BD33 per month compared with the situation in the same quarter a year earlier.-TradeArabia News Service