HRH Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain announced on October 5, a proposed set of new labour market reforms, the changes are set to increase protections for expat workers and streamline processes involved with registering for work or change of employment.
The new reforms would be implemented by Bahrain’s Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA).
- The establishment of new labour registration centres and an online registration portal to increase ease of worker registration
- Guaranteed Labour Market Regulatory Authority representation for any disputes between employee and employer
- New measures to link work permits to vocational and occupational standards to increase safety and protections in places of work
Under these new implemented reforms, there will be an increase in inspections to identify employers engaged in illegal activity, to safeguard the rights of employers, workers and the Kingdom’s business community.
Additionally, the changes will provide a more robust structure to allow employers more flexibility to pay and source labour to drive growth in the private sector.
It was also announced on Wednesday, infrastructure connectivity fees for new builds in areas with pre-existing amenities will be removed. The change applies to major developments and will reduce costs significantly and drive growth in the construction sector.
In 2017, Bahrain secured Tier-1 status in the US Department of State trafficking in persons report, this ranks the country alongside France, UK, US and Germany.
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