Tamkeen registers solid first quarter jobs growth

Tamkeen (the Labour Fund) has supported the employment of more than 2,950 Bahrainis during the first quarter of the year, 16 per cent of them in quality jobs in comparison to 11pc in the first quarter of last year.

Results of the government agency’s first quarter performance released yesterday also show more than 2,480 Bahrainis benefited from its programmes in building their skills and enhancing their opportunities to enter the labour market.

In alignment with the strategic focus and to foster further economic participation of Bahrainis, Tamkeen focused its efforts towards empowering Bahraini women and facilitating the entry of youth into the labour market, which saw 1,350 women being supported for employment and an additional 1,500 women supported for training.

Moreover, a total of 4,860 citizens aged 35 or below benefited from Tamkeen’s support for employment and training.

As a part of efforts empowering the private sector to become the key engine of economic growth in the kingdom, more than 1,800 enterprises of all sizes and across various economic sectors got different types of Tamkeen support, with 87pc of enterprises that benefited being SMEs, whereas 31pc of businesses that got a boost from the agency’s flagship enterprise programmes represented key economic sectors.

Highlighting the results of the first quarter, Tamkeen chief executive Maha Mofeez said, “We are starting the year on a high note with great success in driving our objectives to achieve our main purpose of driving greater economic impact for Bahrain. We plan to continue closely monitoring our performance to ensure we are on the right path to achieving our goals.”

She added: “We set our key performance indicators (KPIs) to help us remain focused on our goals and streamline our efforts in achieving them. These KPIs help us track our progress through the year and ensure that our support is being used in an optimal manner.”

The statement said adopting transparency across all levels is a key objective at Tamkeen and relevant teams closely monitor the performance of enterprises supported to identify potential violations and take the necessary action.

The monitoring spotted 61 violations which represents less than 1pc of 7,230 applications processed in Q1 of 2023.

In alignment with its main mandates, Tamkeen unveiled earlier this year its strategic objectives which focus on four key priorities: facilitating the increased economic participation of Bahrainis, providing training that is aligned with the labour market needs in new and emerging skills, as well as supporting growth and development of enterprises and ecosystem development, all of which drive positive economic impact and sustainable growth.

Also noteworthy are multiple initiatives launched by the agency in the first quarter of the year to support the employment of Bahraini doctors in private-sector institutions.

This includes providing training and employment support, as well as incentives for institutions with high Bahrainisation rates in their medical staff.

Additionally, Tamkeen signed partnerships with leading local and international institutions, such as Fives Group, to train and employ locals according to labour market needs and also other agreements to support the growth and expansion of various local enterprises and factories.

Source: https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/1242326