Bahrain targets key sectors for 2012 jobs growth

Bahrain will focus on growing its health, manufacturing, tourism and hospitality, and infrastructure and service sectors as part of its Future Skills Strategy.

By 2012, the study predicts that the number of Bahraini jobs will rise by 34 percent to 85,000 in the manufacturing sector, by 27 percent to 12,200 in health, by 28 percent to 30,000 in tourism and hospitality and by 61 percent to 22,600 in infrastructure and service.

The Future Skills Strategy for Bahrain (2009-16) was developed by the country’s labour fund, Tamkeen, and was based on the findings of an independent skills gaps research study by the Allen Consulting Group.

“No country can invest in all possible skills at the same time. That is why a good information base is so important – it helps ensure that the most important gaps can be dealt with as a priority, and that the overall needs of the nation are met in a strategic way,” said the group’s director, Stephen Bartos.

In addition to the four sectors that will be prioritised under the scheme, the research projected a seven percent increase in the education workforce to over 22,500 by 2012, and an 82 percent rise in the transport and logistics workforce to 20,500.

Growth in transport and logistics will be boosted by projects including the Bahrain Logistics Zone (BLZ) and Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP).

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