A new wave of opportunities is emerging in Bahrain as the country's economy brings through a number of blossoming sectors which could benefit the local workforce.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Tamkeen chairman Dr Nazar Al Baharna said the government is channelling efforts into raising the profile of emerging sectors, such as information and communication technologies (ICT) and services, which offered plenty of potential for development.

'We have found that the financial market is mature and does not require a great deal of support, whereas the tourism industry, ICT and other services need further development,' he said.

'We see a lot of opportunity in hospitality, nursing and specialised roles in technology.'

He said the kingdom faced a two-pronged challenge in trying to convince Bahrainis to explore the opportunities available in the private sector, while simultaneously urging businesses to hire more locals.

He said that Tamkeen was taking steps to address the challenge.

'To help this happen, we are trying to increase the number of Bahrainis available to work in the private sector, while also looking at how to increase their salaries in the private sector,' he said in an interview with the Oxford Business Group which is producing The Report Bahrain: 2010.

Al Baharna also called for a change of mindset towards small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), saying there was a tendency to overlook the contribution they made to the economy.

'Culturally, we need to change the way people look at SMEs because the majority of people see value only in large corporations,' he said.

'But the reality is that SMEs form 97-98 per cent of total businesses in Bahrain, so should occupy the majority of our focus.'-TradeArabia News Service