Education is an important aspect of people’s life as this prepares them for the future careers that they wish to pursue. Through appropriate and sufficient education, future employees are able to obtain the right work attitude, skills, knowledge and abilities, making them qualified for the jobs and companies they intend to work for. However, it has been a global concern that unemployment levels are continuously growing as employees to not meet the requirements of local and international companies. It appears that this problem is significantly rooted from the inadequate educational background, training and experience graduates have to perform most job opportunities. In other cases, workers have the available skills and knowledge to do professional work; however, work opportunities that require their background are inadequate. This problem clearly indicates that employment issues arise due to over or under qualifications of the graduates or employees. With these issues, employment mismatch often occurs.
For decades, the occurrence of mismatch of work and skills within global labor markets has long been an issue. Thought the mismatch problem is brought about by several causative factors depending on the country in question, graduates and employees had been affected by this issue in general. Specifically, people encounter severe unemployment rates; moreover, the lack of opportunities that truly meet their capabilities leave them with no choice but to resort to low-paying jobs or work overseas.
Overall, this problem prevents people from making the most of their learned skills and earning their educational investments. Furthermore, this problem also affects firms as they lack the people who can fully contribute to their progress. In this discussion, focus will be on the problem on educational and work mismatch, its causes and effect. The occurrence of this problem in Bahrain will also be highlighted. Efforts of the country to address the issue will also be identified and evaluated. Finally, means of improving current policies and programs to reduce theory and practice gap will be cited.
Changes in the Modern Arab Society
Before delving into the theory and practice gap issue in Bahrain and in other Arab areas, an overview of the current situation of the modern Arab society in terms of its labor market is appropriate. In this section, factors that influence its labor situation and issues like population, education and immigration are cited. This will help in obtaining a better understanding of the main issue concerned. One of the impacts of the growing rate of employment mismatch in the modern Arab society is the increasing unemployment rate among the locals.
Ibrahim Queidar, head of the Arab Labor Organization, stated that about 15% or 14 million Arab employees are unemployed (Mathai 2001). In addition, the Gulf Cooperation Council approximated that by the year 2010, the population of the Arab region would be at 39.4 million; this means that about 8 million more job applicants will be looking for opportunities in the next fifteen years and more than half a million jobs would have to be generated every year to meet the demand. Indeed, the growing population in the region further aggravates the difficulty of finding matching jobs for all locals.
Bahrain also encounters problems of unemployment partly as a result of employment mismatch issues. Based on the 2001 census records, the unemployment rate in the country is at 5.5%. In April 2001, a total of 17,000 were recorded as unemployed. From this figure, report showed that almost 6,000 of these unemployed were males. Most of them were also first time job applicants with ages ranging from 16 to 24; aside from these, most them have low education qualifications. Forty percent of the unemployed did not go through higher education and 28% did not go to school (ILO Interdisciplinary Mission 2002).
In terms of nationality, gender and age, the unemployment situation in Bahrain revealed more striking issues. For instance, 58.8% of the total workforce in the country is taken up by non-Bahrainis; their unemployment rate is only at 0.5%. On the other hand, 12.7% of the Bahrainis are unemployed. Female unemployment is also higher than their male counterparts. Women also face more difficulties when looking for jobs than men; this explains why female unemployment is higher in Bahrain. In terms of age, two-thirds of the unemployed locals are first time job applicants. Youth unemployment in Bahrain is also a major problem that is at 41%; this rate is among the highest worldwide (ILO Interdisciplinary Mission 2002). Some of the unemployed youths are school leavers, which somehow explain why job mismatches due to lack of skills is existent in the country.
During the seventies and the eighties, the population growth within the Middle East and North African region (MENA) was recorded to be the highest in world. Overtime, the fertility rate is showing signs of decline; nonetheless, its strong impact to the work sector will take years before it lessens. Employment mismatch is also encountered in the Arab area as most countries have extremely youthful population groups. In the 1999 population statistic report, it was indicated that 42% of the population were below 15 years old (Nicks-McCaleb 2005). This makes it difficult for employers to search for potential employees considering that most of the population is too young and inexperienced for work.
In Bahrain, similar changes in society also occur, which directly affect the labor market as well. The population for instance of the country, had increased more than twice its previous level between 1971 and 1991. Furthermore, a population increase of 36% was recorded from 1991 to 2001. For the past decade, the population of Bahrain increases every year by 2.7%. It has even been projected that by 2025, the population in the country will reach the million mark. The number of foreigners in Bahrain further increases the population level of the country. In 2001, record showed that 38% of the total population is occupied by the Non-Bahraini sector. In 1971, this level was initially at 17% which increased to 32% in 1981; this was mainly because of the high revenues generated by the oil companies and the increased need of the employers for foreign workers.
By 1991, the level of expatriates in the country was at 36%, indicating a minimal growth from the 2001 record. Bahrain also faces the problem on youthful population. Specifically, 57% of the country’s population belong to the 25 years and below group while Bahrainis who are 15 years and younger takes up 37% of the total population (ILO Interdisciplinary Mission 2002). This problem results to high dependency ratios, affecting its labor market. In particular, young graduates and employees encounter a hard time finding a job that suit them due to lack of experience and competition.
According to economists, countries that belong to the Gulf Cooperation Council are encountering structural employment, which is characterized mainly by cases of employment mismatch. In particular, unemployment problems increases in the region as local workers are finding it hard to find jobs that require their skills. The lack of jobs in the Arab countries that would require the skills of the locals on the other hand is attributed to yet another change in the society. Specifically, oil prices had constantly fluctuated and revenues derived from oil products had continuously declined. This change shifted skills requirements from the expansion of the service sector and development of new projects into the preservation of established infrastructure (Mathai 2001). As most locals are trained to work for the oil sector, it becomes difficult to match their skills to current job trends now that the oil business and companies do not demand as much employees.
The presence of the expatriates in the Gulf countries does not help in the issue either. Majority of the jobs generated by the region are occupied by overseas workers. In Oman for example, 61% of its total workforce are comprised of overseas workers. In other gulf countries, its work sector is mainly comprised of foreign employees. Specifically, 60% for Bahrain, 69% for Saudi Arabia, 82% for Kuwait, 83% for Qatar and 91% in UAE (Mathai 2001). The presence of foreign workers in these countries further increases the skill gap among the locals. As stated by a businessman, the national are not always equipped with the right skills for the jobs offered. Considering that businesses do not have much resources to allot for training the nationals, foreign employees then become the most practical option. In addition to this, businessmen prefer hiring expatriate workers as they could do the same job as the locals even at lower wages (Mathai 2001). In Bahrain, employers are often reluctant to train local employees as well as provide them with more opportunities for growth and advancement. This is mainly because employers fear that once the local employees had been trained, they would leave for another job. This then contributes in developing an unmotivated and discouraged Bahraini labor force (Economic Development Board 2004). All these factors combined make most nationals unmatched for local work opportunities.
Employment Mismatch Problem: the Arab Region and Bahrain
According to Hernes (2005), there are several reasons why graduates or new job applicants are finding it hard to find a job that really suit their background, skill and interest. One of the reasons is that the learning in school may not correspond to the needs of the labor market. Due to mismatch of the skills and jobs, new applicants are often excluded by the employers. Another possible reason is that the skills required by companies and employers are not taught in local schools.
In this perspective, it is being stressed that experience still remains the best teacher and that some topics in books cannot be fully understood unless actual application is conducted. Just like medicine students going through the internship stage, it is essential that students are exposed to real work situations to enable them to understand more about the course they had chosen. This will not only promote comprehension but retention as well. By means of exposing students in actual work experiences, they become more confident in utilizing what they had learned and applying for real jobs.
Henres (2005) also cited that employment mismatch occurs due to the constant changes that occur in the work sector. Schools and training centers should realize that the needs, procedures and practices in the labor market is continuously undergoing major changes. Clerks need not only familiarize themselves on how to deal with people, do paper works and manage records, but they must also be proficient in using the computer. Mechanics and engineers should also be equipped with ICT knowledge and skills since this is the latest trend today in building and construction. Agricultural jobs even undergo changes; thus, farmers must also know the most recent farming tools and practices. The world of medicine is one of the fields that is greatly influenced by change. New medicines, surgical procedures, dietary regimen and healthcare plans should then be taught to students in order to prepare them to the latest demands and needs of most medical institutions.
This aspect clearly emphasized that some information and skills may be outdated over time. Without the knowledge of the most recent work practices, students and fresh graduates will really find it difficult to apply for jobs that require certain skills or background. Thus, it is important that students are not only educated for the present labor market but also for its future demands; moreover, re-schooling should be promoted among students and employees.
From the scanned literatures about the employment state in Bahrain and in other Arab countries, it appears that the interest of the locals to pursue their studies and the quality of education play an important role in the employment mismatch issue. Naturally, if students are not given the quality education they need, their interest to attend school is also affected. With the students’ increased tendency to leave school, their skills to work in major local companies will be insufficient.
The problem cycle then continues as employers begin to prefer hiring educated and experienced foreign workers. The problem of Bahrain and the rest of the Arab region in educating and training locals had long been documented. Among Arab countries in general, there are about 65 million adults that are illiterate. Two-thirds of the illiterate population is women while there are about 10 million out of school youth in the region.
The interest to spend on education has reduced as well; this has been made evident by the low educational spending obtained within the Arab countries. Compared to the industrialized nations, Arab countries had demonstrated a significant drop in individual spending for education; the enrolment rate in the region is then directly affected. Higher education is among the important aspects that could prevent employment mismatches; however, in the case of the Arab countries, enrolment rate for higher education has also been dropping continuously. In turn, this makes mismatch between educational qualifications and jobs available even more severe.
In Bahrain, there are several important aspects raised in relation to the interest of students to education, drop out rate and graduate population. The basic education in the country extends for 9 years with three years of secondary education. Institutes that offer higher education include Bahrain Training Institute, Gulf Hospitality and Tourism College, Bahrain University, College of Health Sciences, Arab Gulf University and other special institutions like the Bahrain Institute for Banking & Finance. Statistic reports showed that enrolment rate (50%) and the number of graduates (38%) in the country actually increased (ILO Interdisciplinary Mission 2002).
However, certain problems had been identified in the country’s secondary education level. In particular, a high level of drop out rate has been observed; statistic reports identified a significant difference between the number of enrollees in the primary, secondary and intermediate schools. As the students progress in educational level, the number of enrollees lessens. Results also indicated that for every ten students who enroll for their first year in primary education, less than four pupils will enroll for secondary education. This observed trend led school administrations to question the ability of the schools to retain the students (ILO Interdisciplinary Mission 2002).
The interest of the students to education does not only affect the issue on employment mismatch in Bahrain; the population of the enrollees in terms of gender also aggravates the issue. Local census showed that more females are more motivated to study as compared to males. For example, in the science courses, male students only make up 36% of the total population while 64% are females. In the literary division, only 33.5% are males. Females are only slightly higher than the male population in the primary education level; however, female population doubles in the secondary level and becomes 30% more than the male students in the intermediate level. There is also a distinct discrimination in the courses offered for both genders; for example, industrial education is only open to male students while advertising and textile are only offered to female students (ILO Interdisciplinary Mission 2002).
Two-thirds of the secondary and post-secondary education enrollees are made up of female students; however, the females only make up 25.78% of the total labor force in Bahrain. These results clearly showed that while there are more female graduates than males, their skills are not utilized for local employment. The limited education courses accessible to male and female students also make it difficult for employers to find the needed employees for their operation (ILO Interdisciplinary Mission 2002). From the gathered findings, Bahrain’s educational setting is comprised of abnormally high drop out rate especially in the secondary level; eventually, the out of school population contributes to the country’s unemployment rate. There is also an apparent motivation problem among male students in Bahrain. Moreover, although the female population displayed a high performance level, the local labor markets do not offer matching job opportunities.
The quality of education, specifically the form of teaching in the Arab region appears, to affect the issue on employment mismatch. According to Al Sulayti (1999), students studying in the Gulf region are more accustomed to the traditional methods of teaching and memorization. For instance, in taking up English courses, students are trained in preparation for taking up the Preliminary English Test, a standardized English competency test for students at the intermediate level. During the duration of the semester, the students must be able to achieve the fourth level of English proficiency before the exams. This clearly illustrates that the Arabian method of teaching is patterned after the traditional high-stakes testing (Syed 2003). This then deprive the students of the modern techniques for teaching like collaborative learning. This educational practice makes it even more difficult for Bahrainis to obtain good local jobs and compete with foreign workers.
Usually, classroom instruction is conducted with a teacher facilitating the discussion; during the class, teachers may ask questions or give examinations to assess the level of comprehension of the students. In the traditional setting, the teachers are the only source of information; students on the other would just have to take note and memorize all these information. Skill level at this set up is greatly affected due to the students’ lack of involvement in the learning process. With the traditional learning process, students are not able to effectively apply what they have learned from real work situations. Traditional teaching process then lessens the potential of the students to be innovative, creative and analytical.
The quality of education among students is also affected by the inadequate IT knowledge and skill enhancement in the Arab region. Although computer systems are readily available, there is also a distinct lack of internet utilization in the students’ education process; this also makes the nationals less appealing as employees compared to other foreign workers. The inadequate exposure of most locals to internet use is largely attributable to some inefficient Arab policies (UNDAP 2002).
For instance, online Arabic publications that could have been popularized through the internet are often controlled with certain decrees. This then limits Arab information from being accessible to the public. Another important is the cost of internet access in the region. As online services are provided in the Arab countries at considerably high prices, most people are not able to access this major development. This also prevents the use of information and communication technology (ICT) for knowledge expansion and better education (UNDAP 2002).
Policy Changes and Training Efforts
The government in Bahrain and in other Arab countries had done several steps and procedures in order to improve their education and labor sector. In Bahrain, most of the efforts of the country to resolve the issue on employment mismatch are focused on policy changes. So as to improve the skills of the students and prepare them for the demands of the labor markets, major changes had been introduced and enforced through new education policies.
For primary education, policies include the implementation of a generalized class-teacher system, employment of ICT in the teaching process, early teaching of the English language, provision of learning programs for gifted students and creation of better home-school relations. For the out of school youth, the local government had also enforced a policy where vocational programs will be provided for these children to prepare them for the requirements of the labor market (UNESCWA 2006). Society groups like teachers and students now have access to various training courses for advance learning that would improve their technical knowledge and skills. The structure of Bahrain’s ministry of Education has also been modified in order to ensure that the needs and requirements of the labor market are relayed to the education institutions. This modification also enabled the ministry to develop programs, visions and objectives that can help prepare future job applicants in securing local work opportunities (Ministry of Education 2003).
The developments in Bahrain’s school setting had also been subjected to a continuous and automated evaluation system, making the preparation and analysis of education statistic report easier and more accurate. Several developmental project had also been approved by the local administration to improve the learning and educational background of the Bahrainis. These projects include the utilization of a curriculum that teaches personal, health and social life skills, the use of a commercial and industrial curriculum and the employment of an English-guided reading program (Ministry of Education 2003).
The development and implementation of the curriculum for life skills aim to integrate the learning for life perspective; this will help in achieving educational goals that are relevant the students’ health, existence and relation with the society. This development project aims to establish a balance between the knowledge students learn from school and real life application. This project will then directly address the students’ need to be updated with the latest economical, political, social and technological developments. The development of the commercial and industrial curriculum also aims to enhance the skills of the Bahraini students and prepare them for the labor market (Ministry of Education 2003).
The commercial curriculum for instance is directed on the development of vocational education so as to help students overcome rapid knowledge and technological changes. Moreover, the learning of the English language has been more emphasized in this curriculum development. Some of the important features of this curriculum include the establishment of simulation halls where students can practice actual labor market work, the integration of the internet, development and implementation of new improved training programs for teachers, modification of the study plan for commercial education to coordinate with the demands of the labor market and introduction of new courses that are in demand to the current work sector (Ministry of Education 2003).
Similar developments had been done in the curriculum for industrial education. In order to enhance the actual work experience and skills of the students, the study plan for industrial education now include more hours for field training. New courses that meet the needs of the labor market are also introduced; the courses also give more focus on teaching life skills, safety health and vocational abilities. In order to shape the students’ project management capabilities, small feasibility projects that teach project planning, resource budgeting and workforce management are integrated. Aside from technical skills, these projects also help student develop important values like self-confidence, independence and respect, which they could use in actual work settings (Ministry of Education 2003).
Aside from the implementation of various educational policies, the local government of Bahrain has also been active in promoting the employment of nationals in local work opportunities. One of the programs implemented by the government is a 1998 program wherein about six thousand work opportunities were generated every year for the locals. With this program, local companies were encouraged to increase their national employees by 5 percent every year until the company has 50 percent local employees. New firms in Bahrain are also required to allot 20 percent of its total workforce to the locals. In order to encourage companies to employ locals in their operations, the government also provides incentives to small and medium companies whose national workforce is 30 percent or more (UNESCWA 2006).
This program of the government is typically termed as the process of Bahrainization, wherein the focus is on the creation of more work opportunities for the locals. This policy has been introduced in response to the obvious end of the oil sector boom. This was also developed in order to address the growing unemployment rate among the Bahrainis in the country. In the aspect of hiring foreign employees, Bahrainization is established to employ regulations that would control the employment of migrant workers. In a way, this was use in order to limit the country’s dependence for foreign labor and begin to utilize local skills and abilities.
Evaluation for Improvements
There had been limited reports as to how the cited educational and policy changes had affected the locals and Bahrain’s labor market. However, considering the said problems and causes of employment mismatch in Bahrain, it can be said that the developed programs and policy changes directly addresses the issues raised. For instance, statistics reports showed that the quality of education in Bahrain is among the main reason for the employment mismatch issue; in order to address this, new courses and training programs that are in direct coordination with the country’s latest labor market needs are provided to the students.
New ICT-based teaching techniques and early English lessons for young students are also used to facilitate better enhancement of learning and communication skills. For higher education students, longer hours for hands-on or field training are allocated to ensure that they are technically equipped for the jobs they will do in the future. These changes are actually efficient not only in teaching the right technical information to the students but also in teaching important values that are essential for actual work settings. All these educational developments can help make Bahrainis more competent and appealing for local employers; thus, reducing unemployment rates among the locals due to employment mismatch.
The government has also done its share in the reformation of Bahrain’s labor market through active development and approval of relevant education and labor policies. The Bahrainization policies for example, act as support framework for the aim of the country to alleviate its problem on employment mismatch and local unemployment. This promotes the new highly skilled employees of the country for local firms, reducing their dependence on foreign laborers. Measures that would encourage local companies to employ more nationals in their operations are also enforced by the government, which promote policy compliance and maintenance. However, based on some literatures, it has been noted that the Bahrainization policies are not efficiently doing their purpose especially on the aspect of migrant workers.
For instance, the population census noted that not much changes or developments were achieved with the Bahrainization policies from 1991 to 2002. In particular, foreign laborers still take up the majority of the workforce in the country (ILO Interdisciplinary Mission 2002). With this finding, it is likely that the compliance measures that are implemented by the government are still not recognized by the local companies. It is also possible that employing foreign workers remains the most practical option for the employers in Bahrain. A study revealed that Bahrainization is actually hindered by a number of factors. These include the lack of appropriate work skills among local job applicants, the lack of interest among nationals to apply for unskilled jobs and the low wages offered by smaller companies (ILO Interdisciplinary Mission 2002).
In a more recent evaluation report in 2001, the government noted that certain problems hinder the effective implementation of Bahrainization policies. Among these include inadequate working condition, low wage levels, hesitance of local employers to hire Bahrainis and establishment of unregistered firms. The results of the implementation also identified aspects that cause the poor implementation of Bahrainization policies. These include the inadequate commitment or awareness of the employers with these policies, insufficient labor inspection, limited training systems and the lack of sustainable consultation mechanism (ILO Interdisciplinary Mission 2002).
From this view, it is essential that close monitoring systems should be applied by the government and related agencies. Moreover, the concerns of the local companies regarding the employment of Bahrainis should also be identified and addressed. Policies should also be implemented along with appropriate measures of evaluation to facilitate continuous development and changes. If Bahrainization policies will be pursued, it is important that the government, related agencies and companies work together to resolve the factors that hinder its efficient implementation. It should be noted however that the Bahrainization effort had also provided some major changes for the country’s labor market. For instance, Bahrainization led to the rise of national employment by 27 percent during the 1990s. In the same period, Bahrainis employed in the private sector was at 43% while 27% are employed in the informal sector (ILO Interdisciplinary Mission 2002).
In general, despite the efforts of the government of Bahrain, there are some roots of employment mismatch that were not fully addressed. For instance, it has been noted by reports that one of the major problems of Bahrain is the increasing rate of secondary education drop outs; this has been related to the inadequate ability of the schools to retain and encourage the students. The local government had acted on this by providing vocational programs for out of school youths.
This action helps in reducing the unemployment in the country and in ensuring that the skills of the youth are aligned with the needs of the employers. However, this does directly help in preventing further drop outs in the country. It is then essential that methodologies or new teaching processes are employed to encourage the student to focus and finish their studies.
There are certain ways on how the interest of the students in education can be done. For instance, the country can improve the quality of education students receive by adopting modernized teaching techniques. Rather than employ the same traditional teaching methodologies in the new training programs, the country can make use of other techniques such as web-based education. This can enhance IT education and training of the students as well as optimize the ICT facilities available in the country.
The development of web-based learning environments enable the provision of appropriate student-oriented learning approaches that is concentrated more on collaboration, directed inquiry and guided activity. This learning environment is different from the traditional classroom education as the role of the teachers to provide information for the students is significantly reduced. With the integration of information and communication technology, web-based learning is more centered on the students and changes had transpired on the traditional roles of the teachers (Jonassen 2000).
As Web or online technology offers greater available resources for the students, teachers are no longer the exclusive source of information during the learning process. Through the role of the teachers as information providers is reduced in web-based education, teachers’ roles had become more diversified as in this setting, they also function as designers, guides and organizers of learning tasks. With this new learning approach, the integration of technology in education posed new challenges on both teachers and students.
There had been a number of researches that focused on examining the role of the instructors in web-based education. According to Kemshal-Bell (2001), the teacher’s role in online courses can be divided into three main categories, which include technical, facilitating and management skills. The technical skills pertain to the proficiency level of the teachers on web-based operational tools. The facilitating skills on the other hand, refer to the ability of the instructor to direct, question, listen, assess and motivate the students. The management skills that teachers must have for this learning set up include time management, guideline establishment, planning, monitoring and adapting teaching approaches in accordance to the students’ diverse needs. Berge and Collins (1995) describe these skills as pedagogical and social.
With the growing interest of people towards technology and online services, the use of computer systems had made its way to the educational setting. One of the reasons why web-based learning has been integrated into the students’ education is the beneficial features of this technology. Nielsen (1993) stated that these computer systems have the properties of social and practical acceptability, making them useful for the students. Another feature of the web-based learning is its usability; specifically students are able to learn effectively through online features. Teachers on the other hand, also benefit from this technology as it improves their teaching organization. In general, the use of this technology for both studying and teaching makes the learning process more interesting; thus, improving retention and appreciation.
One of the general findings researchers have on the use of ICT in the educational context is that it allows students to become more analytical. As suggested by the research of Neo and Neo (2001), as students search for information through multimedia and online tools, students become more critical thinkers. This in turn, stimulates their interest to learn and look for more information. By means of ICT, students gain access to mind tools that enhances their ability to evaluate, imagine, analyze, synthesize and design.
Moreover, learning activities that uses ICT for teaching enables the students to become better problem-solvers and decision-makers (Jonassen & Carr 2000). With the use of ICT tools, students in general become more motivated and interested to learn. As a result, students gain several skills and abilities that are useful in performing various tasks. Considering that IT is a growing trend in the work sector, employing IT in the students’ educational process could greatly enhance the skill development of the Bahrainis. Moreover, exposing them more to IT knowledge will increase their chances in working for local companies.
Aside from ensuring the interest of the students to school, it is also important that gender segmentation in higher education courses is eliminated. Rather than offer courses based on the students gender, all courses should be open to all. This will help the country generate as much future employees for local companies depending on the labor market trend. This will also take out the discrimination issue among gender in the country. Female job applicants will also have an equal share in the labor market in terms of work opportunities. With more capable local applicants, problems on unemployment rate can also be reduced. In general, the government of Bahrain was able to develop and implement effective strategies that directly address the country’s issue on employment mismatch. Through policy changes, the country was able to improve the skill level of its future local job applicants. Moreover, the Bahrainization policies helped in increasing the employment level of the nationals within local companies. Nonetheless, certain changes still need to b done in order to address the problem of the country in matching educational skills with job opportunities.
Traditional teaching methods for example should be shifted to new collaborative learning. Web-based education may also be employed to facilitate ICT awareness and development. This will not only help students be updated with the latest work trends in the country, but this will also help in retaining the children in school. Increased student retention in Bahrain will also contribute to the resolution of its high drop out rate especially at the secondary level. The country’s government should also consider enhancing its Bahrainization policies. These changes should be based on the raised issues of the employees and the employers with regards to the recruitment of more local workers. More established monitoring system should also be used by the government to facilitate better implementation outcomes.
Aside from these, the changes in the country’s educational setting should also involve the elimination of gender-based courses in higher education. Rather than offer courses to specific genders only, all courses should be offered to all. This will then support the fast generation of applicants with backgrounds or skills that suit current labor market demands, considering that stronger connections had been established between the ministry of education and labor agencies. The elimination of these gender-based courses will also help in addressing the country’s problem on gender discrimination or stereotyping.
Conclusion
Employment mismatch is an issue among employees and employers where applicants are not equipped with the appropriate skills for actual work performance. This then make some applicants less appealing for most companies. This problem had been correlated to several causative factors. These include poor quality of education given to students, outdated information and training programs as well as the continuous changes that the work sector undergoes. The occurrence of this problem on the other hand, further aggravates some nations’ problem on high unemployment rate. In the case of Bahrain and other Arab countries, the unemployment rate is also affected by the fact that migrant workers are continuously employed in large number by most local companies. The lack of skill, inadequacy of work opportunities and the level of competition in the labor market then give the locals a hard time in finding the right job for them.
Bahrain is encountering these problems in its education and labor setting. Hence, various programs and policy changes had been implemented by its government to ensure that local employees have the right skills to successfully enter the labor market. Among these educational developments include the changes in curricula where actual work exposure through field work is prioritized. Learning the English language at an early age is also enforced by the government. New teaching processes that make use of ICT are also integrated. Vocational programs that would help out of school youths are also provided to prepare them for current labor market demands. Bahrainization policies were also developed to support the fast employment of the locals in the country’s companies.
While these mentioned policies and training programs directly address the problems of Bahrain, there are still possible means that could be employed to achieve better outcomes. For example, schools in Bahrain can replace traditional teaching methods with web-based education; this would maximize the country’s available ICT resources as well as help retain students in school. The early exposure of the students to internet and other similar technologies can also help in making their skills and knowledge more applicable to current labor needs. Gender-based courses should also be taken out and higher education subjects should be open for all to help reduce unemployment rate and increase the percentage of the locals in the total workforce. In conclusion, Bahrain was able to successfully introduce new education programs and developments to help match students’ skills with the latest job requirements through the coordination of the government, education and labor sectors. This coordination should then be continued and used for the implementation of more effective project for addressing employment mismatch.
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