Jobless database is launched

Gulf Daily News
Tuesday, 18th November 2014
13
Jobless database
is launched
Email: [email protected]
By RAJI UNNIKRISHNAN
A BD1.7 million project
that involves creating a
national database to help
tackle unemployment has
been launched.
n Mr Humaidan, seated,
left, and Ms Tomlinson
sign the contract
The Labour Market Observatory (LMO) will contain information on jobseekers and the labour market,
identifying any skills gaps
and training requirements
for available positions.
Work will start in February and should take 26
to the GDN on the sidelines of
months to complete.
“The project will make it the LMO contract signing yeseasy for the relevant deci- terday at the Labour Ministry,
sion-makers to strike a bal- in Isa Town.
UK-based company Tribal
ance between job demand
has been awarded the
and labour market
contract for the fiveneeds,”
Labour
phase project.
Ministry’s Human
Labour Minister JaResources Developmeel Humiadan and
ment director Essam
Tribal managing diIsmail Alalawi told
rector Janet Tomlinson
the GDN.
signed the contract in
“The
LMO’s
the presence of Tamobjective is also
keen’s chairman and
to project future
requirements
of n Mr Peters acting chief executive
Shaikh Mohammed bin
the labour market,
which will help parents Essa Al Khalifa, Labour Minisand students to make the try Under-Secretary Sabah Al
right choices regarding their Dossary, Tribal business development director Simon Peters
higher studies.
“The observatory will and other officials.
“The project, which is part
also allow higher education
establishments to prepare of Bahrain’s Economic Vision
the educational, academic 2030, aims to streamline all
and practical programmes data related to the labour marthat will suit labour market ket, which now lies scattered
requirements – and in turn among various government enreduce the unemployment tities,” Mr Humaidan told the
GDN.
rate in the country.”
“The gap lies in the outcome
Mr Alalawi was speaking
n Mr Humaidan, seventh from left, and officials at the signing
of education and training and
the actual requirement of the
labour market in the country.
“The national efforts are
commendable, but we need to
have a system in place that will
streamline these efforts so that
we have one integrated platform.
“The LMO is the ministry’s
first step to make sure that we
have such a system adapted
into our organisation as a government.
“It will collect information
that will help to identify and
analyse trends and challenges
and come up with permanent
solutions by adapting recommendations into policy-making,
training and the higher education strategic planning levels.”
Mr Peters said the groundwork had already been done for
the project, which would help
Bahrain plan ahead with its labour market strategy.
“Many nations today are
looking ahead and thinking
about the big technological
changes that lie ahead,” said
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Mr Peters.
“These changes can have
drastic impact on certain industries, which may no longer
survive in the long run.
“So we need to get an understanding of the current situation
and then plan – it is important
that we look ahead while planning and perhaps this is one big
gap that we identified.”
He said the LMO would consider key indicators to predict
future job opportunities and labour market needs, adding that
it could also identify jobs cur-
rently dominated by expats that
Bahrainis could be trained in.
“There are a number of sectors in Bahrain which are currently served by expat workers,
into which Bahrainis could be
moved,” he explained.
“It is important that Bahrainis are given the opportunity to
move into these sectors and
supported with the necessary
skills.
“The efforts needed are to
be more systematic, which will
also be part of our project.”
Ministry staff will be trained
on how to operate the database, but the licence for
the system will have to be
renewed every two years.
The next phase of the project includes the formation
of a steering committee that
will include representatives
from the Labour and Industry and Commerce ministries, the Bahrain Chamber
of Commerce and Industry,
High Council for Vocational
Training, Economic Development Board, Tamkeen,
Labour Market Regulatory
Authority, Higher Education
Council, Central Informatics Organisation and Social
Insurance Organisation.
The GDN reported yesterday that Bahrain’s unemployment rate was currently
steady at 3.6 per cent.
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