Q: What are the official authorities that manage the unemployment insurance system?

A: The Ministry of Labouris involved in managing and operating this system, and the General Authority for Social Insurance is responsible for making financial payments to banks.

Q: What are the tasks of the Ministry of Labour and the General Authority for Social Insurance in managing the unemployment insurance system?

A: Within this framework, the Ministry of Labour carries out the following tasks:

1. Unemployed registration.
2. Providing suitable training for the unemployed.
3. Determining the unemployed person's entitlement to compensation or aid.
4. A decision to stop the payment of compensation or aid and the determination of the loss of the right to them.

The Social Insurance Organization performs the following tasks:

1. Collection of assessed contributions.
2. Payment of compensation or aid.
3. Investing funds for the unemployment insurance account.
4. Managing the unemployment insurance account.

Q: What are the categories referred to in the unemployment insurance system?

A: The unemployment insurance system includes the following categories:

1. Private sector workers and employees.
2. Government workers and employees.
3. First-time job seekers.

Q: What is the amount of the monthly subscriptions?

A: The monthly contributions to the unemployment insurance system are calculated as follows:

1. A percentage (1%) of the worker (insured) worker wage.
2. A percentage (1%) of the wage of the worker (the insured) to be paid by the employer.
3. A percentage (1%) of the wages of all insured persons shall be paid by the government.

Q: What are the conditions for entitlement to unemployment compensation?

A: To be entitled to unemployment compensation, the following conditions must be met: Completing the required subscription period. (Twelve consecutive months from the subscription for the first claim)

1. To abide by the instructions issued by the Ministry of Labor.
2. He/she did not leave the job voluntarily.
3. He/she must be willing to work.
4. He/she is seriously looking for work.
5. To be able to work.
6. He/she must not have reached the legal retirement age.
7. He/she should not have been dismissed for disciplinary reasons.
8. To pass the scheduled training successfully.
9. With regard to expatriate workers, the residence of the foreign worker in the country must be a legal residence for the purpose of work in accordance with the regulations in force.

Q: What is the amount of unemployment compensation? Is it possible to claim repeated?

A: The unemployment compensation is paid on a monthly basis at the rate of 60% of the insured's wage based on the average monthly wage during the twelve months prior to his unemployment, and it does not exceed the maximum amount of BD 1000 per month.

Q: What is the minimum unemployment compensation?

A: The minimum unemployment compensation must not be less than BD200 per month, or the average wage of the insured during the twelve months of his unemployment, whichever is less.

Q: What is the maximum period for disbursing unemployment compensation?

A: The unemployment compensation is paid for a period of up to nine months, and it can be claimed for the next time after work and dismissal by other than disciplinary means.

Q: What is the maximum period for disbursing unemployment compensation?

1. The insured is entitled to unemployment compensation for the second time if he/she worked again in an insured job for a period of no less than 12 months during the 18 months prior to his/her unemployment.
2. The insured is entitled to compensation for unemployment for the third time if he/she works again in an insured job for a period of not less than 18 months during a period of 24 months from which, third claim is counted.
3. The insured shall be entitled to compensation at any subsequent time if he/she worked again in an insured job for a period of not less than 36 months during the 48 months preceding the claim for compensation.

Q: Is it permissible to combine unemployment compensation with the employer's other entitlements?

A:It is permissible for the insured person to combine between unemployment compensation and his/her other entitlements with the employer, such as service bonus and compensation for unfair dismissal.

Q: What are the conditions for entitlement to unemployment benefit for first-time job seekers?

A:For a job seeker to obtain unemployment benefit for the first time, the following conditions must be met:

1. The applicant should be a Bahraini citizen.
2. The applicant should not be less than 18 years of age.
3. The applicant should comply with instructions of Ministry of Labour.
4. The applicant should not engage in commercial or professional business for his own account.
5. The applicant should be capable to handle the work.
6. The applicant should be willing to work.
7. The applicant should not have reached retirement age.
8. The applicant should pass the required training.
9. The applicant should be seriously looking for work.

Q. What is the amount of unemployment aid for first time job seekers?

A: A first-time job seeker is entitled to unemployment benefit of BD200 per month if holds a Bachelor's or degree or higher, or else he/she is entitled to a benefit of BD150 per month if his/her academic credentials are less.

Q: What is the maximum period for disbursing unemployment benefits?

A:The unemployment benefit is disbursed for a period of up to nine months, and in the event that a claim is submitted more than once during a period of twelve months, he/she will receive the benefit for a maximum period of another nine months.

Q. What are the cases for the suspension of unemployment compensation or aid?

A:The unemployment compensation or aid will be suspended in case of non-compliance with the attendance rules of the Labour Services Office.

Q: What are the cases that will renounce the right to receive compensation or unemployment aid?

A: The right to pay unemployment compensation or aid is forfeited in the following cases:

1. Refusing to accept job position that the ministry offers two times without justifications.
2. If the unemployed job's wage exceed or equal to the amount of unemployment compensation or aid. 3. If the unemployed obtains aid or compensation through fraud and deceit. 4. If the unemployed fails to register his/her name in the unemployment registry within three months from the date of the end of his/her employment tenure.
3. If the accommodation of the expat worker is illegal.
4. The permanent departure of the expat worker from Bahrain.

Q: How can you register as a job-seeker in the ministry?

A: A person can register if he/she is an unemployed Bahraini or a GCC citizen. It must be confirmed before the registration process that his/her status is registered not employed in the smart card, and that he/she is not registered with the social insurance, after which he/she fills out a researcher's registration form and attaches all the required documents with it, and delivers it personally to the registration department at the Ministry of Labour and or its affiliated centers, each according to the area of residence.

job-seeker

Q: Can a relative submit papers to register a person as a job-seeker?

A:No it is not permitted. The job-seeker must come in person to the ministry

Q. What are the documents required to register as a job-seeker?

• The original smart card.
• A copy of the smart card.
• A copy of the passport.
• A copy of the last academic qualification.
• Curriculum Vitae.
• A copy of the account statement.

Q: If a person has graduated from a private university, would his/her certificate be approved by the ministry?

A:He/she must verify the certificate from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, in order for the certificate to be approved by the ministry.

Q: If a person graduated from a university outside Bahrain, would his/her certificate be approved by the ministry?

A: He/she must have an "Apostille" attested and verified from the embassy of the state and from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, in order for the certificate to be approved by the ministry.

Q. When is the job seeker file closed?

A: The file of the job seeker shall be closed for the following reasons:

• If he/she fails to attend the scheduled appointment for the employment interview.
• If he/she rejects two or more job opportunities.
• If he/she holds an active commercial registry.
• If he/she is a student.

Q: How does the employment of the national workforce takes place?

A: The employer must first perform the process by filling out the employment confirmation form on the Social Insurance website.

Q. What is the minimum salary?

A:The minimum salary for a Bahraini employee with a bachelor's degree is BD450; for a diploma holder it is BD380; and for secondary schools or less it is BD300.

Q: What are the requirements to be met to obtain the Ministry's support through the Bahrainis Rehabilitation and Employment Project (2)?

A: The ministry supports the wages of registered Bahrainis who have been assessed for at least three months by the Employment Services Office. It is a requirement that the person is selected by the ministry before the recruitment process, and that no more than six months have passed since the submission of the application from the employee's insurance date.

Q: What is the amount of support in the Employment and Rehabilitation Project for Bahrainis?

A:The amount of support varies according to the qualification. For holders of a bachelor's degree, the amount of support in the first year is BD200 and BD150 in the second year. For a diploma, the amount of support is BD100, and for secondary school, it is BD50.The employer undertakes to pay the employee's monthly wage in full, and the ministry pays the amount of support to the employer at the end of every three months after submitting proof that the employee has received the total salary.

Q. What is the duration of the support in the Bahraini Rehabilitation and Employment Project?

A: The support period varies according to the qualification. For those with a bachelor's degree, the support period is for two years. As for the diploma and secondary school, the support period is only one year.

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