Bahraini employment continued to rise during the fourth quarter of last year, according to statistics released recently.

The number of Bahrainis in work stood at 140,640 by the end of last year, Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) figures show.

It follows a three per cent growth in Bahraini employment between October 1 and December 31.

The number of foreigners in the workforce dropped slightly to 458,709 by the end of the year, according to the LMRA's fourth quarter report.

It said the average Bahraini wage increased marginally to BD440, compared to BD438 in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Wages for all nationalities stood at an average of BD332, an increase of 11 per cent.

Meanwhile, the number of new work visas issued for expats fell by 1.4 per cent to 25,266 compared to the same period in 2009.

Most visas (35.6 per cent) were issued in the construction sector, followed by wholesale and retail trade at 19 per cent and manufacturing at 14.9 per cent.-TradeArabia News Service