Bahrain’s unemployment rate for the second quarter of the year rose to 4.7 per cent up from 4 per cent in the first quarter, said a senior government official.

Labour Minister Jameel Humaidan attributed the increase to the fact that a large number of university graduates have applied for jobs at the end of the academic year, which coincides with the end of the second quarter.

The total unemployment in Bahrain until the end of June is 9,012 individuals (1,640 males and 7,372 females) compared with 7,718 at the end of the first quarter, he said. The total Bahraini workforce reached 186,012 in June, he was quoted as saying by the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

The number of job vacancies dropped from 9,450 in April to 6,918 in June, while efforts are underway to find attractive job opportunities to suit citizens’ qualifications and experiences.

A total of 6,054 individuals benefited from unemployment insurance cover in June compared with 5,572 in April, he added. – TradeArabia News Service