The campaign topped the agenda yesterday as Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa received Deputy King and Economic Development Board chairman Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

The aim is to give employers and workers more flexibility, while still making Bahrainis the “employees of choice”.

A flexible system ensuring workforce mobility and recruitment of foreign employees was discussed at the meeting, also attended by Deputy Premier Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, who chairs the Supreme Committee on Educational Reform.

The EDB and the Labour Market Regulatory Authority have been commissioned to study how to boost Bahrainisation, while at the same time allowing expatriate workers freedom to change jobs.

All parties concerned were urged by the Premier and the Deputy King to back the reforms, to ensure that they pay dividends.

They also discussed furthering education and training through a string of initiatives, mainly through the new Polytechnic and the Teacher Training College.

Providing sufficient supplies of food and construction materials at affordable prices also came under scrutiny.

The Premier and the Deputy King urged competitiveness and diversification of suppliers for Bahrain’s needs to be met.

“Supplies have to be boosted to meet growing demand within the free market economic policies,” they said.