Bahrain’s Cabinet has agreed to extend the suspension of Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) fees until the end of the year.
The government have stopped collecting the fees since April last year, in a bid to alleviate pressure on companies suffering as a result of the unrest and global economic challenges.
A ministerial committee for financial and economic affairs has been formed with the aim of conducting a study, to be concluded by November 2012, in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, while the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry will seek to identify alternative schemes. 
The fees were introduced in 2008, requiring companies to pay around $26 a month for every expatriate they employed, in addition to a $530 for renewing expats’ contract.
