Brunei strives to improve its labour market

Azmi Zainal
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE sultanate made inroads this year in reducing the jobless rate, empowering the labour force to improve their employability and encouraging Bruneians to reduce their reliance on the government sector and take up private sector jobs.

Unemployment down

Unemployment rates have seen a sharp fall this year.

According to the most recent data from the Department of Economic Planning and Development (JPKE), the number of jobless in the sultanate fell 8.6 per cent to 11,093 in September from 12,137 a year earlier.

September also saw the lowest number of jobless for any month so far this year.

Unemployment in Brunei is projected to fall to three per cent by 2016, according to a report from the UN Economic and Social Survey of Asia-Pacific (UNESCAP), which cited government initiatives to help mitigate the number of jobless.

The government has made a number of efforts to reduce unemployment. Some of its campaigns included public encouragement of taking up vocational training and jobs through scholarships and initiatives such as the Energy Sector Job fair, said UNESCAP. It also included promotion of entrepreneurial grants from various institutions such as the Brunei Economic Development Board.

Agencies such as the Energy Department at the Prime Minister’s Office and the Local Employment and Workforce Development Agency (APTK) under the Ministry of Home Affairs have also been active in organising career programmes and job fairs throughout the year to provide opportunities for locals.

Entrepreneurship

In August, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, urged local jobseekers to shed preference for the civil service as many continued to shun opportunities in the private sector.

In his 69th birthday titah at Istana Nurul Iman, the monarch pointed out that “a picky attitude” in seeking employment can hinder the progress and success of a nation.

“There are opportunities available, but it is still up to the respective jobseekers. As usual, these opportunities are frequently taken up by foreign workers in the private sector, while local jobseekers are seen as preferring to work in the public sector or government,” he said.

Earlier in the year, during the Legislative Council’s sessions in March, Bruneians were urged to change their mindset and stop relying so much on the government for jobs and financial support and instead set their sights on becoming entrepreneurs. Employers were also encouraged to give priority to locals when hiring.

Then Minister of Health YB Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Adanan Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Hj Mohd Yusof highlighted that Bruneians should move away from relying on government salaries and support and instead enter the more industrious world of business.

“The industry sector is the heart of the economy, which has been proven to be capable of creating more employment, including advancing other industry-related economic activities,” he said.

YB Pehin Dato Hj Adanan said young Bruneians must be given the opportunity and priority in filling the important roles to replace expatriates because there are qualified locals for these roles.

Also In March, then Minister of Home Affairs Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Hj Awang Badaruddin Pengarah Dato Paduka Hj Awang Othman said the government’s policy of capping the number of foreign workers is not intended to hinder industrial growth and development.

He said the policy introduced last year is aimed primarily at reducing the unused quota of foreign workers. However, the ministry will insist that companies make plans within three years to gradually replace their foreign staff with locals, maintain the quota, or increase the number of expatriates as and when their companies’ growth and expansion make it necessary.

The minister said companies should make an effort to recruit more Bruneians.

There are currently 141,852 foreign workers in all sectors, including construction and private domestic help. On top of that, private sector employers have an unused quota for foreign workers totalling 71,000.

He said the ministry wants to regulate the number of foreigners working in the sultanate to make sure they don’t dominate jobs in the five sectors.

Curbing youth unemployment

In October, it was reported that the Institute of Brunei Technical Education in collaboration with the Continuing Education and Training Department (CET) was providing free training courses for unemployed youths between the ages of 18 and 35 as one of their initiatives to build skills among youths.

Hjh Nimah Hj Ahad, a senior officer from CET, encouraged more youths, particularly those who had just graduated from higher institutions, to develop their skills as opposed to merely waiting for job opportunities.

“We’re encouraging youths in the search for employment to apply for training courses to acquire new skills which would increase their opportunities to open businesses and become self-employed,” she added.

In relation to this, in March, Steven K Gold, an entrepreneurship professor from Babson College in the US, said entrepreneurship is important for the growth of a country, as it could help generate jobs and make the nation attractive to foreign investors.

Gold was invited to Brunei in 2014 by the Entrepreneurship Village under the Ministry of Education as a consultant for the National Entrepreneurship Agenda.

The Entrepreneurship Village’s strategies include equipping primary school children with the skills or tools required to become entrepreneurs.

For secondary and university students, it guides them on how to start and grow a business.

It also hopes to help existing entrepreneurs sustain and make their businesses globally competitive.

“The important factors to becoming [successful] entrepreneurs are communication skills, connections and being proactive,” he said.

“We guide interested entrepreneurs by giving them wider connections to other international experts to guide them further,” he added.

In June the Ministry of Home Affairs launched their job portal for private sector jobs.

The e-Labour Exchange also allows registered employers to post vacancies and seek potential employees.

Hj Shahrul Jeffri Dato Paduka Hj Ibrahim, acting head of the ministry’s Local Employment and Workforce Development Agency, said the system will speed up the recruitment process.

Hiring Bruneian workers will be faster and more cost-effective for employers, he said.

Through the new system, jobseekers can register and update their profiles online. They can also apply for courses offered on the e-Labour Exchange.

“The most important thing which I would like to emphasise is the government’s continuous effort to facilitate jobseekers to potential employers,” said YB Pehin Dato Hj Awg Badaruddin.

The minister hoped all private employers in the country would register with the new system and encourage local jobseekers, including students looking for part-time jobs, to make use of the portal.


Sumber - The Brunei Times