Al Marai Company has hired and advanced the careers of 70 Bahraini employees through employment and development programmes backed by the Labour Fund Tamkeen, according to a report published in Bahrain’s business press. The move reflects continued private sector demand for Bahrainis in roles that sit close to customers and day to day operations, from store execution to supply chain coordination.

For founders, the signal is practical. Large employers are not only hiring. They are investing in structured progression, which raises the baseline expectations of candidates across the market. If you are building in consumer tech, logistics, ecommerce, food, or retail enablement, you are competing in the same talent pool.

This also lands as Bahrain keeps pushing skills visibility and career planning tools into the mainstream. On December 1, 2025, Tamkeen highlighted a schools awareness campaign under its Skills Bahrain initiative, pointing students to labour market insights and pathways via national resources. See the Skills Bahrain awareness update. That pipeline matters because today’s hires are increasingly comparing growth plans, not only salaries.

Globally, the skills conversation is heating up again. The OECD Skills Outlook 2025 was published on December 9, 2025, and it stresses how uneven access to skills development can limit economic performance. That is a global point, but the founder takeaway in Bahrain is simple. If your onboarding is vague, your training is ad hoc, and your promotion logic is unclear, you will lose good people to employers who can show a path.

Tamkeen’s own messaging has consistently framed employment support as a way to create real career ladders. In a separate 2025 statement reported by TradeArabia, Tamkeen’s chief executive said, “Tamkeen’s support will lead to the employment of over 70 Bahrainis,” underscoring the focus on outcomes.

If you want to act on this now, pick one role you need in the next 90 days, write a simple progression plan for the first six months, then check whether the National Employment Program or related Tamkeen support fits your hiring profile and eligibility before you publish the job post.