Recruitment Agencies in Bahrain

Recruitment consultants and agents play a major role in the placement of workers in a host of occupations in Bahrain. In view of the distance between Bahrain and the countries that supply many of the region’s employees, it’s necessary for agents to act as middlemen. Private recruitment consultants and headhunters in western countries (and particularly in London and New York) deal with most managerial jobs in Bahrain, while agencies in India (particularly Bombay), Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Korea, the Philippines (Manila) and Thailand (Bankok) supply most of the enormous number of manual labourers employed in Bahrain’s numerous construction projects.

Agencies often specialise in particular areas of work, e.g. medical and nursing staff, computer personnel, accountants, construction managers, executive and office staff, engineering and the technical trades. Agency and consultancy fees are paid by the employer, with no charge to staff. Fees are usually a percentage of the annual salary, ranging from 10 to 20 per cent for most jobs but lower for those with high salaries. Regular customers are often offered preferential rates.

Recruitment agencies in Bahrain are sometimes used for placing expatriates in temporary work or for expatriate wives wishing to take up local employment. There are numerous regulations controlling the employment of spouses, and separate work visas are needed; the agent handles the details.

Local agents are also used if expatriates change jobs. This, however, is not common, as expatriates are normally sent to Bahrain under contract and job changes are restricted by their employers. You might under certain circumstances be allowed to break your contract, in which case a local agency might be of use. Otherwise, at the conclusion of your contract, a local agency might find you another job.

The Government Employment Service

Bahrain doesn't have an equivalent of the nationally-organised job centres found in western countries, and it’s the responsibility of the Ministries of Labour and Social Affairs to deal with employment (Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, PO Box 32333, Manama (Tel. 973-687 800)).

Bahrain is trying to balance the need to import foreign labour with the interests of the local population, and companies are strongly encouraged to take on local nationals where possible. This ‘encouragement’ can be quite robust, and the Ministries are able to restrict the number of work visas issued or renewed to a company in order to comply with a quota of local intake.

How to work for yourself in Bahrain

If you wish to be self-employed in Bahrain, your major hurdle is to find a sponsor. When you’ve found one, you will experience few further problems with bureaucracy and officialdom. In order to find a sponsor, you need to visit the region and talk to local people. This is obviously also necessary in order to check market conditions in the area that interests you. Sponsorship can be provided by a legally registered company or by an individual; for example, you might work in ship maintenance and repair, in which case you would approach a ship maintenance company as a self-employed person working as a sub-contractor.

If you intend to work in one of the professions, you must show the proper qualifications in order to obtain your work visa: in the medical profession, for example, your qualifications would be inspected by the Ministry of Health. There aren’t usually any tax liabilities but it varies according to the type of work and you should check. You might have to buy personal medical cover in some states.

Negotiating with the sponsor will require some hard bargaining. The fee you pay him is likely to be either a flat annual rate paid in regular instalments or a percentage of your revenue. Rates vary, but anything over 10 per cent of your revenue is high and you should try to negotiate on the basis of net rather than gross income. You’re recommended to consult a local lawyer regarding the proposed deal with your sponsor.