AFS Employment Plans for Bahrainis .. Humaidan : The growth of the financial sector in Bahrain provides quality job opportunities

25-01-2023

H.E. Mr. Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, Minister of Labour, affirmed the government's support for the financial services sector to attract more investment opportunities to strengthen the Kingdom of Bahrain's position as a regional hub for this sector. His Excellency pointed out that the Ministry of Labour gives priority to employing nationals in specialised sectors, while the financial sector is at the forefront of it by updating the professional training system that keeps pace with technological developments. The minister added that the growth of non-banking financial companies in the Kingdom constitutes an important tributary in supporting the national economy and providing quality investment opportunities that generate jobs. This came in a statement by H.E. the Minister of Labour during his visit to the Arab Financial Services Company (AFS), where he met with Mr. Samer Suleiman, CEO of the company and a number of officials of the company. His Excellency was briefed on the company's recruitment plans, as 64 Bahrainis were employed during the years 2021-2022 out of a total number of 148 Bahrainis in the company, which showed that the percentage of Bahrainisation in the company exceeded 66%. The minister was also introduced to the company's plan to train job seekers and university students, a strategic move it carries out periodically at the facility. Humaidan met with a number of Bahraini employees, including many who were promoted to senior management positions, through which they presented their success stories in the company that qualified them for career advancement. His Excellency praised these stories, which are a model to be followed, calling on employees to continue their efforts in self-development and work hard and discipline to improve their career productivity. The minister also noted the level of job stability of national workers in light of the encouraging work environment, expressing his pride in the Bahraini cadres working in the financial sector. In this context, Humaidan expressed his thanks and appreciation to AFS for adopting the national element and considering it one of the priorities of its future employment plans. He also pointed out that the interest that the companies and institutions operating in the private sector give to employ nationals comes in light of the employers' conviction that national workforce is worthy and able to manage the movement of production in various productive sectors, in sync with the support provided by the government to private enterprises that prioritise employment of Bahrainis, and laws and facilities that stimulate production. Moreover, he explained that the ministry aims to prepare job seekers who are equipped with the necessary professional training skills to be the first choice for recruitment in various sectors, especially the financial sector. For his part, the CEO of AFS expressed his thanks to the Minister of Labour for this visit, stressing that it will be an important motivation for the company to continue its efforts in employing citizens. He also pointed out that the company's success in attracting national human resources comes with the assistance of the Ministry of Labour in providing trained cadres in this sector, in addition to the availability of the appropriate environment, along with professional vocational training, and the government's support for national labour, which contributed to empowering Bahrainis in various administrative and technical jobs in the company. It is worth mentioning that the Arab Financial Services Company is one of the leading companies in providing payment expertise to banks and commercial groups. The company also offers advanced payment solutions and is one of the region's digital payment solutions providers and a fintech enabler.