Labour Minister briefed on NBK's endeavours to recruit citizens

17-06-2023

In recognition of the establishments where the employment rates of nationals have increased, and in support of the initiatives and programs of the Ministry of Labour in the field of attracting and integrating Bahraini cadres, H.E. Mr. Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, Minister of Labour, visited the headquarters of the National Bank of Kuwait in the Kingdom of Bahrain, where the rate of Bahrainisation has reached 100%. During the visit, he met with Mr. Ali Yousef Fardan, the General Manager of NBK in addition to a number of NBK officials. Humaidan was briefed on the efforts to implement the bank’s plan to attract nationals in light of its confidence in these competencies and reliance on them in the implementation of all its operations. During the visit, NBK’s General Manager briefed HE the Minister on the Bank's initiatives and strategy to attract more qualified national human resources. Fardan also pointed out that last year, 13 Bahrainis were employed, bringing the total number of employees working in the bank's two branches in the Kingdom of Bahrain to 99 nationals in various departments, sections and banking and administrative operations. On this occasion, Humaidan pointed up the fact that the Bahraini cadres working in the financial and banking sector have proven their excellence and high efficiency, due to their professional capabilities, and they are present in all disciplines and various technical and leadership job grades thanks to their extensive and remarkable experience at the regional and international levels. For his part, Fardan reaffirmed that NBK as a banking and financial institution seeks to continue to implement this employment policy and rely on national competencies during the next phase and emphasize that the citizen is the first choice in the labour market. He pointed out that Bahraini cadres are characterised by their efficient performance and high productivity in various banking operations. In this context, he indicated that since its operation in the Kingdom of Bahrain in 1987, NBK has witnessed a growth thanks to the cohesion of the Bahraini economy and the investment environment that have been the stimulants for success. Among the most important of these successes is the government's interest in the banking and financial sector by providing support to its enterprises, qualified national resources and encouraging incentives such as wage support, as well as offering free specialised training opportunities for them. In this context, he praised the programs and initiatives launched and implemented by the Ministry of Labour in the fields of qualifying citizens and integrating them into the private sector. H.E. Mr. Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, Minister of Labour, met with the staff working in the various departments of NBK, and listened to many success stories, which reflect the bank’s strategy to support the ambition of Bahraini workers and their desire for excellence, professional and career advancement. It is clear that a good number of them have progressed to become leaders in various banking and financial operations, thanks to the policy of encouraging vis-a-vis supporting academic studies and professional certificates. On this occasion, the minister acknowledged the beneficial impacts of leadership formed by the banking and financial sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain and its role in promoting comprehensive development. In this regard, Humaidan stressed the government's continuous keenness to launch more initiatives as part of national efforts to accelerate the pace of employment of citizens, besides providing encouraging incentives for graduates and providing support packages to establishments operating in various sectors in order to integrate Bahraini human resources in various jobs and functional specialties in economic and productive establishments.