Skilled Workers

Working in Bahrain

The Kingdom of Bahrain is the smallest of all Gulf sates. Its population stands nearly at 620,000. However, in terms of the influence that the country wields in the area, it is an important country. Currently, it is in a transitional stage. A lot of development is taking place and there is a huge demand of skilled expatriate workers in Bahrain. This has led to a flood of job opportunities in infrastructure, construction, tourism, healthcare and oil & gas. Bahrain is an absolute monarchy and has a very conservative culture. It does not allow the expatriate workers to become a part of the permanent population. Thus, all foreign workers are hired on a contractual basis for a limited period of time. The country offers a luxurious and mostly safe lifestyle and good salary jobs, which is the reason why foreign workers throng here.

Before taking up employment in Bahrain, there are a few things that one needs to keep in mind. This write up will touch upon all facets of employment in Bahrain, one by one. Firstly, any expatriate worker who wishes to work in Bahrain requires a local sponsor. This is a must to visit Bahrain or live and work there. The term 'sponsor' refers to a sort of guardian or a guarantor who is required to undertake all administrative work and fulfill all formalities on behalf of the foreigner. It is the sponsor who applies for the work permit and the residential visa. Other formalities such as opening a bank account or signing a rental accommodation contract also take place through the sponsor only.

For expatriates who take up job offers in Bahrain, it is generally the employer who acts as a sponsor. For those, who wish to start a business in Bahrain, the requirements are different. No foreigner can start a fully-owned business in Bahrain. One can only do so in partnership with a local who holds the majority stake. Thus, for setting up a business in Bahrain, one should first look for a local partner. It is also advisable to study and research the local business environment to gauge the prospects of the business. It is good to have strong local contacts in Bahrain. For jobseekers too, it is advisable to network with the locals.

Bahrain is very strict about its sponsorship rules. It is an effective way for the authorities to control the flow of people in the country. The sponsor is totally responsible for the stay of the worker and the behavior of the worker while being in Bahrain. Thus, the employer does all the necessary background check to determine if the person is reliable and trustworthy or not. This ensures that the workers stay on the right side of the law and do not contravene any law or regulations. On the other hand, the sponsor is also a good source of information and help which would be required greatly in Bahrain as it is a conservative country with very strict laws of living.

Despite strict rules and a conservative culture, the biggest attraction that pulls the foreign workforce to Bahrain is remuneration. Bahrain pays very good salaries to foreign workers, sometimes even higher than those paid in the western countries. Also, there is no personal taxation so whatever one earns is for keeps. The net income becomes high leading to a luxurious lifestyle and higher savings. Earlier, the salary structure was divided under various heads such as basic salary, housing provision or allowance, medical cover, car provision or allowance, education for children and air tickets for home visits. However, this is not functional any more. These days, employers prefer to give just one salary which covers all this.

Apart from the salary, contract workers are also given an indemnity at the expiry of the contract period. This is kind of an end-of-contract bonus. Those who have been working in Bahrain for long can accumulate a large amount of indemnity amount. It is not an insurance amount but just a way of the state to thank the expatriate workers for their services. It is usually based on basic salary excluding any bonuses.

The working hours in a week in Bahrain are generally between 40 and 48 hours. It also depends on the policies of particular companies. In the holy month of Ramadan, the working day is generally reduced to six hours but some companies make this change only for Muslim employees. The off day is Friday. For those companies that have a five-day work week, the other off day is generally a Thursday or a Saturday.

Other thing that one has to keep in mind while working in Bahrain is that it is a very conservative society. It considers homosexuality and live-in relationships a crime, just like most other Arabic countries. The punishment for breaking laws is also severe. So, one has to be on the right side of the law to enjoy staying and working in Bahrain.

About the Author:

Geetika Jain writes on behalf of NaukriGulf.com, a leading job portal for jobs in Gulf Region, Jobs in Dubai, Middle East jobs. Naukri.com's foray into the Middle East is an endeavour to provide established client base with services that best meet their international requirements as well as expand our operations on to a global arena.