Bahrain has stabilised its unemployment rate at 3.7 per cent, according to Labour Minister Jameel Humaidan.

He said 6,065 Bahrainis were employed in the private sector in the last quarter of 2014, which covers October, November and December, reported the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The quarterly labour report, which was submitted to the Cabinet yesterday (February 2), stated that 196,138 Bahrainis were employed in the whole of last year compared to 188,724 in 2013.

“We had 37 per cent women employed in the fourth quarter compared to 36 per cent in the previous quarter, which is low and we are addressing it as we work to remove obstacles and give incentives to make females appealing to employers,” said Humaidan during a press conference following yesterday's Cabinet session at the Gudaibiya Palace.

“We have achieved our target in stabilising unemployment by the end of last year at 3.7 per cent, which is lower than our expected target of four per cent.”

He said vacancies in the banking sector stood at 4,739 by the end of December - an increase from the 4,101 available jobs in October.

“We have also increased pay for university graduates from BD416 ($1,096) a month to BD425 by the end of the year, and this serves our goal of ensuring all graduates get paid above BD400.

“There are jobs in the hospitality sector that target Bahrainis and have high salaries, especially in first class restaurants and hotels.

“We have already received approval from the Cabinet to re-launch the Hotelier and Hospitality Institute, which will train and rehabilitate job-seekers.”

He added that 4,362 Bahrainis received unemployment money by the end of the year, a drop from the 4,519 by the end of September. - TradeArabia News Service