Fitch estimated that there would be $3 billion to $5 billion outstanding external debt in the period from 2019 to 2022, noting that 8.7 thousand employees had applied for Voluntary Retirement Scheme out of about 48,000 employees, which would save an amount of 166 million dinars in 2019 (11% of the wage bill for 2018).

The Social Insurance Organization said that it had completed all the procedures for transferring pension dues to the accounts of the second batch of those accepted in the voluntary retirement program in the first week from March, during the period from March 4-7.

The Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning will witness a restructuring in the coming days after the acceptance of applicants for voluntary retirement, which will lead to a shortage of employees in all departments and directorates of the ministry.

Minister of Shura and Parliament affairs Ghanem Al-Buainain announced the acceptance of 8025 employees in the voluntary retirement program from among the 46 government agencies offering their employees for the program.

The civil service bureau in Bahrain said that 120 applications had been accepted for joining the voluntary retirement program and 84 had been canceled, in coordination with the government agencies where the applicants were employed

CSB President said that in order to ensure the functioning of health services in the usual quality and ensuing that the course of the educational process and interest of students are not affected, it was decided that June 30, 2019 will be the last day for the employees who work in educational and administrative jobs in schools and who were accepted in the voluntary retirement program.

Organization and Budgeting director at Civil Service Bureau (CSB) Jamal Abdulaziz Al-Alawi said that the government entities have formally contacted their employees to inform them about accepting those who met the requirements and rejecting the ones who didn't meet the requirements of the voluntary Retirement program.

The President Of Civil Service Bureau Ahmed Al-Zayed stated that the annual promotion for 2019 will be handed out to all employees who have been accepted in the optional retirement program who fit the requirements according to the approved regulations, including those who are set to exit with the first batch on 31 January 2019 and the following batches.

Civil Service Bureau (CSB) Chairman Ahmed Zayed Al-Zayed said that the referral of those accepted in voluntary retirement will be on January 31, 2019 or February 28, 2019.

Civil Service Bureau (CSB) Chairman Ahmed Zayed Al-Zayed announced the number of employees who applied for voluntary retirement, which represents one of the six initiatives of the Fiscal Balance Program, reached more than 9 thousand.

The Civil Service Bureau said that tomorrow, Thursday (November 8, 2018), will be the last day to apply for the voluntary retirement and that replies will be received by November 28.

More than 8,000 government employees have applied for the voluntary retirement program to date, reported the Bahrain News Agency (BNA) on Saturday (November 3, 2018).

Deputy Prime Minister Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said that approximately 7,000 employees had applied for the voluntary retirement program.

A Bahraini Civil Service Bureau source said that hundreds of government employees had submitted requests to withdraw from the voluntary retirement program.