About 400 people lost their jobs during the fourth quarter last year in Bahrain, the kingdom's Labour Minister said.

"There is no country with zero dismissals," Jameel Humaidan said in a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

"The numbers are small compared with others. They will be provided alternative work. The ministry is also looking at alternatives to have these citizens accommodated.

"Of the 1,912 who were awaiting appropriate deployment, 1,199 found employment. This represents 80 per cent of the overall numbers," he said at a media briefing following the weekly Cabinet session.

Training projects are being carried out in both public and private sectors while the ministry, in co-operation with Civil Services Bureau, is also prioritising opportunities to ensure that new jobs can be found, he added.

If the dismissed employees cannot be employed, the ministry will look at solutions that will help them find jobs.

"In the second part of the year, the substitute offers will be brought in for them. There are projects being undertaken for the unemployed who have the capacity to perform well in certain jobs among the Bahraini labour," he said.

"The ministry is in the process of promoting best training to ensure that this class is motivated to work under all circumstances. In this category, we have 500 new Bahraini job-seekers and they will be trained to carry out the new jobs," the minister said. - TradeArabia News Service