In a visit to "Arla Foods" Minister of Labour: Industrial investments contribute to creating promising job opportunities for citizens

19-02-2023

H.E. Minister of Labour Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan affirmed that the industrial sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain is witnessing great development in light of attracting industrial investments thanks to the economic diversification policy to create quality opportunities and generate promising jobs for citizens. His Excellency pointed out that the Ministry of Labour continues to implement its strategy, which aims to benefit from the increase in the volume of industrial projects and the abundance of quality jobs, which are necessary to integrate citizens who are searching for work in this vital sector. This came in a statement by the Labour Minister, during his visit to the European Dairy Cooperative Group "Arla Foods", one of the food processing companies in the Bahrain International Investment Park in Hidd Industrial City. It comes as part of a series of visits made by His Excellency to companies and institutions that support the ministry’s initiatives and programs in the field of employing national cadres. On arrival, Humaidan met with Jørgen Greve, the Plant Director and other officials. Humaidan was briefed on the company's recruitment plans and programs to upgrade the company's national workforce. The minister also toured the factory's production stages of dairy and cheese, which distribute approximately 95% of its production in the Middle East and North Africa. After that, he had the opportunity to speak with a number of Bahraini workers and expressed his appreciation for their high productiveness, which is due to their dedication and hard work . He also met with the new recruits who were hired during the year 2023 and expressed his admiration for their orderliness and commitment in their work. In this context, Humaidan acknowledged that the national cadres are the real capital of any development. His Excellency pointed out that the ministry will continue to rehabilitate citizens who are looking for work and make them the first choice for employment in the labour market. He also called attention to the existing cooperation between the Ministry of Labour and private sector establishments and the qualitative opportunities they offer to employ Bahrainis in various economic and commercial sectors. At which point, His Excellency expressed his thanks and appreciation to Arla Foods for its confidence in national cadres and its endeavor to develop them professionally, due to their job discipline and high productivity. For his part, Mr. Greve reiterated that with the presence of a suitable investment environment and high efficiency of Bahraini cadres, were amongst the most important reasons for choosing the group to work in the Kingdom. He pointed out that the encouraging incentives provided by the government to the private sector contributed to persuade the industrial sector, in particular with national cadres that are equipped with the necessary professional skills, praising the government's policy in supporting citizens' wages and providing them with free training. He also mentioned that the percentage of the national workforce in the company is about 48%, indicative to the company's continuous endeavor to employ more citizens. The company is currently training 50 Bahrainis to be employed in various departments.