STATE OF HIRING & RECRUITMENT
IN BAHRAIN — 2026

Key Labour Market Statistics, Trends & Insights  |  Data-Driven Research by 9CV9

~5.8%
Projected Unemployment Rate 2026
80%
Expatriates in Total Workforce
BHD 921
All-Time High Avg Monthly Wage (Q2 2025)
3.5%
Real GDP Growth 2025
631,763
Active Foreign Work Permits (Q2 2024)
20,000
Annual Bahraini Hiring Target 2023–2026
AVERAGE MONTHLY SALARY BY SECTOR (BHD)
Oil & Gas (Engineers)BHD 5,500
BHD 5,500
Healthcare (Specialists)BHD 4,000
BHD 4,000
Finance & BankingBHD 2,000–2,500
BHD 2,000–2,500
CybersecurityBHD 2,250
BHD 2,250
Software DevelopmentBHD 1,700
BHD 1,700
Civil EngineeringBHD 1,600
BHD 1,600
Digital MarketingBHD 1,500
BHD 1,500
HospitalityBHD 833 (avg)
BHD 833
NON-OIL SECTOR GDP GROWTH — FULL YEAR 2025 (YoY)
+6.4%
Professional / Scientific / Technical
+6.4%
Accommodation & Food Services
+5.6%
Financial & Insurance Activities
+5.0%
Construction
+4.7%
Transportation & Storage
+3.6%
Information & Communication

Source: Bahrain Ministry of Finance & National Economy — Bahrain Economic Report 2025

GENDER REPRESENTATION IN BAHRAIN'S WORKFORCE (2025–2026)
Sector Gender Split
Public Sector — Female
55%
Private Sector Nationals — Female
43%
ICT / Tech Workforce — Female
33%
Finance Sector — Female
32%
Managerial Roles — Female
35%
Manufacturing — Female
18.7%
STEM Enrolment — Female
50%
Ministerial Roles — Women
22%
Tamkeen Labour Fund: Program Reach (2024–Nov 2025)
Employment & Wage Support Programs
40,000+
Skills Development Programs
25,700+
Enterprise Support (SMEs = 51%)
8,500+
Jobseekers Trained
17,000+
Bahrainis secured jobs post-training
5,000+
Post-support job retention rate
88%
Private firms receiving support
6,700+
Training spend (BHD)
BHD 23.4M
KEY LABOUR MARKET METRICS AT A GLANCE
~928,809
Total Bahrain Labour Force (World Bank, 2024)
BHD 892
Average Monthly Salary (2026 estimate, Remote People)
BHD 757
Median Monthly Salary in Bahrain (2026)
70%+
ICT Sector Jobs Held by Bahraini Nationals
60%
ICT Workers Aged 18–24 (Bahrain EDB)
35K–45K
Annual Private-Sector Job Openings
85.8%
Non-Oil Share of Bahrain GDP (2025)
$43.6B
Total FDI Stock in Bahrain (EIU, 2024)
$1.8B
Annual FDI Inflows (Bahrain EDB, 2024)

Sources: LMRA, Tamkeen, Bahrain MoFNE, IMF 2026 Art. IV, World Bank, WEF, Trading Economics, Qureos, Yotru, Atlantic Council, US State Dept 2025

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