Hire in Bahrain
Country Overview
Employment Contracts
Working Hours
Employee Leave
Employee Benefits
Bahrain PEO & Employer of Record Services
Global PEO Services (GPS) helps companies hire employees in Bahrain without establishing a legal entity. All human resources, benefits, payroll, and tax needs for the employees are managed by the Global PEO, while the new hires and headquarter teams focus on your business goals.
When hiring employees in Bahrain, establishing a subsidiary or branch office is not always the best route, as it’s often a lengthy and expensive process. Hiring via a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), or Employer of Record (EOR), is a faster and often more effective option – especially when starting up in a new country.
Global PEO Services hires the employees on your behalf, legally contracting them through our subsidiary in accordance with Bahrain labor laws. As a result, the burden of compliance is on us and the employees can begin work for your company in a matter of days. PEOs/EORs provide you with a streamlined option for hiring employees, testing markets, and responding to growing business needs in Bahrain. With Global PEO Services, you get control without taking on legal entity liabilities, contractor risks, or sacrificing on talent or speed to market.
Bahrain - Country Overview
Bahrain, a constitutional monarchy, is one of the open economies in the Middle East. The country’s oil industry accounts for 70% of the government’s revenues, 60% of export receipts, and 11% of the GDP. Aluminum products such as billets, standard ingots, and rolling slab are the 2nd most exported commodity, followed by financial services and construction materials. Bahrain’s state-of-the-art communication and transport facilities have helped it attract several multinational firms and major industrial projects. The 2030 Economic Vision aims to facilitate socio-economic growth by focusing on 3 basic principles of integrity, competitiveness, and sustainability.
Capital City
Manama
Currency
Bahraini Dinar
Principal Language
Bahraini Arabic
Government
Arab Constitutional Monarchy
Other Major Cities
Muharraq, Riffa, Isa Town, Hamad Town
Employment Contracts in Bahrain
Employers and employees can enter into employment contracts for a fixed term or an indefinite period. The contracts can be terminated on notice or after executing a particular project. The contracts must contain the following details:
- Employer’s name, address, and trade register number
- Worker’s name, date of birth, job description, qualifications, nationality, residential address, and personal identification documents
- Nature, type, and duration of the contract (for a definite period)
- The wage agreed upon, the time and method of payment and all the benefits be in cash or kind as agreed upon.
Employees can be hired under a probation period if stated clearly in the contract provided the period does not exceed 3 months.
Working Hours in Bahrain
The regular work schedule comprises 6 working days a week and Fridays are the weekly off. If a public holiday falls on a Friday, the employer is required to provide employees a day off. The employer, under special circumstances, can ask employees to work on public holidays or Fridays, subject to local law’s provisions. Barring cases stated in the law, an employer cannot request employees to work for more than 6 hours a day or 36 hours a week.
Overtime
Whether employees are entitled to overtime pay or not depends on their exempt or non-exempt status. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers need to provide overtime pay to non-exempt employees who work for more than 40 hours in a week. Some category of workers, such as agricultural workers, are excluded from this benefit. Employees are entitled to 1.5 times the regular pay for overtime.
Employee Leave in Bahrain
Holidays
The following national holidays are observed in Bahrain. The dates are for 2018:
- Jan. 1: New Year’s Day
- May 1: Labour Day
- June 15-17: Eid Al Fitr
- Three days: Eid Al Adha
- Islamic New Year
- Oct. 22: Ashura Eve
- Oct. 23: Ashura
- November 21: Birthday of Prophet Muhammad
- Dec. 16-17: National Day
Employees receive a 50% bonus along with a compensatory day off or 150% payment of the base salary if they work on a public holiday.
Annual Leave
Employees are entitled to 30 days’ annual leave after completing 1 year of employment. The annual leave accrues at the rate of 2.5 days for each month. Under the new Labor Law, employees cannot receive monetary compensation instead of the accrued annual leave.
Maternity Leave
Female employees are entitled to 45 days’ maternity leave on full pay and this period can be extended by 15 days without pay. During the 2-year period after return to employment post childbirth, employees qualify for an additional hour to nurse during workdays.
Pilgrimage Leave
Muslim employees who have been working with the same employer for 5 continuous years are entitled to 2 weeks’ pilgrimage leave once during their employment to perform ‘Haj.’
Sick Leave
Employees are entitled to:
- 15 days’ sick leave on full pay
- 20 days’ sick leave on half pay
- Next 20 days without pay
Entitlements to sick leave can be accumulated for up to 240 days during the entire service period.
Contingency Leave
Employees can take 6 days’ contingency leave in a year in case of an emergency. The leave should not exceed 2 days in each case and is deducted from employees’ annual leave.
Educational Leave
Employees are entitled to educational leave if they have to take an examination at any educational level provided they give a 30 days’ notice to their employer before the start date of the leave.
Idda Leave
Muslim female employees are entitled to 1 month’s paid leave in the event of their husband’s death. They are also entitled to 3 months and 10 days’ leave to complete the ‘Idda’ period. In case the balance of their annual leave is insufficient, employees can take unpaid leave.
Employee Benefits in Bahrain
Pension and Social Security
The normal retirement age in Bahrain is 60 for men and 55 for women and they are eligible for benefits after contributing a minimum of 10 years to the state pension scheme. Men with at least 20 years of coverage and women with 15 years of coverage can retire early.
Health Insurance Benefit
Bahrain’s citizens receive subsidized or free medical care, but foreign workers are required to pay for health insurance.
Old-Age Benefits:
Old-age Pension
The old-age pension paid is equal to 2% of an individual’s average monthly wages in the previous 2 years multiplied by the number of contribution years. The minimum pension is either the individual’s average wage during the previous 2 years or 200 dinars each month, whichever is less. The maximum pension is 80% of an individual’s average wages in the previous 2 years of contributions including an additional 10% of the old-age pension.
Early Pension
The pension is decreased by:
- 20% if the individual retires before the age of 45
- 15% if aged 45 to 49
- 10% if aged 50 to 54
Compensation for Prolonged Service
A lump sum equal to 11% of an individual’s average annual wages in the previous 2 years is paid for each year of contribution beyond 40 years.
Old-age Settlement
A lump sum equal to 15% of the individual’s average monthly wages in the previous 2 years multiplied by 12 times the number of contribution years, and 5% interest from the date the contributions stop until the date the old-age settlement is paid.
Benefit Adjustment
Benefits are hiked by 3% every January.
Benefits:
Disability Pension
The disability pension is 44% of an employee’s average monthly wages in the last year of contribution before the disability began or 2% of an individual’s average wages during the previous year of contribution multiplied by the number of contribution years, whichever is greater.
The maximum pension is 80% of an individual’s average wages in the last year of contribution including an extra 10% of the disability pension.
Disability Settlement
A lump sum equal to 15% of an individual’s average monthly wages in the last year’s contribution multiplied by 12 times the number of contribution years including 5% interest from the date the employment ceased due to disability until the settlement date.
Benefit Adjustment: Benefits are hiked by 3% every January.
Survivor Benefits:
Spouse’s Pension
A spousal pension equal to 37.5% of the disability or old-age pension, that the deceased was entitled to received or was receiving, is paid to widow/widower.
- 62.5% – If there is no eligible orphan
- 75% – If there are no eligible survivors
Orphan’s Pension
An orphan pension equal to 50% of the disability or old-age pension the deceased was entitled to or received is divided equally among the individual’s eligible children.
- 62.5% – if the widow is the only eligible survivor
- 100% – to a full orphan
- 87.5% – If there is no widow, but there are other survivors
Other Eligible Survivors
A lump sum equal to 12.5% of the old-age or disability pension the deceased was entitled to or received is divided equally among dependent brothers, sisters, and parents.
- 37.5% – If there is no eligible orphan
- 62.5% – if there are no other eligible survivors
The minimum pension equal to 44% of the deceased’s average monthly wages in the last year of contribution or 200 dinars each month, whichever is greater. The minimum pension amount for each surviving family member is 35 dinars per month.
Marriage Grant
A lump sum equivalent to 15 times the monthly pension is paid.
Survivor Settlement
A lump sum equal to 15% of the deceased’s average monthly wages in the previous 2 years multiplied by 12 times the number of contribution years including 5% interest from the date of death until the settlement is paid.
Death Grant
A lump sum equal to 6 months of the deceased’s average monthly wages in the last year of contribution, or the disability or old-age pension the deceased was entitled to receive or was receiving, is paid.
Funeral Grant
A lump sum equal to 3 months of the deceased’s average monthly wages in the last year of contribution, or the disability or old-age pension the deceased was entitled to receive or was receiving, is paid.
The minimum funeral grant of 500 dinars is paid.
Benefit Adjustment: Benefits are hiked by 3% every January.
Maternity Benefit (Employer Liability)
Maternity benefit equal to 100% of an employee’s wages is provided for 60 days. Subsequently, the employee can take 15 days’ unpaid maternity leave.
Sickness Benefit (Employer Liability)
Sickness benefit equal to 100% of employees’ wages is provided for the first 15 days;
After that, an employee can take 20 days’ unpaid sick leave.