Bahrain, Kuwait move to boost jobs for nationals

Bahrain and Kuwait have announced new measures to safeguard the interests of their citizens seeking jobs.

Calling for reforms in the labour market the Crown Prince of Bahrain said yesterday that the country needs "a serious national dialogue" to address the burning unemployment issue in the kingdom.

"Two out of every three new jobs go to expatriate workers," while one out of eight Bahrainis is out of work, Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa said in an opening address at a national workshop on the Bahrain labour market.

If the current job trends continue, the unemployment rate could go up to 35 per cent in the next ten years, according to a study on the Bahrain labour market and employment trends.

Meanwhile, in Kuwait City, Prime Minister Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad said the government is committed to boosting the economy, granting of political rights to women and less stringent press laws.

In a meeting with the editors of the country's leading publications, Shaikh Sabah also underscored the need to stop employing citizens in the public sector to stop the drain on public expenditure and to give much needed impetus to the private sector.

The prime minister challenged reports that find an 11 per cent unemployment rate for Kuwaitis.

"We have no unemployment. The military and the national guard need every unemployed Kuwaiti."