Manama: Dec. 30 – (BNA) A study, conducted by the Labor Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) published on today’s Al-Bilad edition, revealed that the issue of unofficially-regulated expatriate workforce in the Kingdom of Bahrain, does not only constitute individual cases, but also an entire black market with an estimated value, according to current figures, of BD 70 million, with middlemen and dealers network inside the Kingdom and abroad. Unofficially-regulated expatriate manpower in 2012 increased by 11% compared to previous years.

The study which has been obtained by Al-Bilad from the LMRA indicated that the total number of unofficially-regulated foreign workforce has reached 49,500 unlawful workers and this estimated figure is likely to rise. According to Al-Bilad daily newspaper, the LMRA has discovered during one inspection visit, 600 unofficially-regulated workers working in just one facility.

The LMRA study urged for enforcement of legal action against employers who exploit the facilitation given by recruiting more expatriate workforce with the sole purpose of abandoning them as free-roaming workers. Most free-roving or runaway workers are workers who have not been given the chance to work for their employers/sponsors and who therefore were restrained to seek other jobs and to work as roaming peddlers or hawkers, or in car washing or garbage collection and recycling, etc. Free-roving(free-visa) or runaway expatriate workers have often contributed to complicating the problems of local communities.