Answer to Oral Question PL166

QUESTION

Yang Berhormat Awang Haji Daud bin Jihan

YANG BERHORMAT AWANG HAJI DAUD BIN JIHAN asks YANG BERHORMAT Menteri Kebudayaan, Belia dan Sukan to state whether the programme managed by the Department of Community Development to assist welfare aid recipients who have the potential to work in the Government and private sectors is still ongoing and to what extent it has been effective?

ANSWER

Yang Berhormat Menteri Kebudayaan, Belia dan Sukan

1. Thank you Yang Berhormat Pehin Yang Di-Pertua and Yang Berhormat Awang Daud bin Jihan for the question regarding the effectiveness of empowerment programmes for welfare aid recipients.

2. I am pleased to inform that this Ministry, through the Department of Community Development (JAPEM), continues to implement various efforts towards empowering welfare aid recipients, particularly to enable them to be self-reliant and contribute to national development, whether through job placement in the Government or private sectors. This effort is in line with the Government’s policy to reduce continued dependence on assistance and to build economic resilience among the people and residents.

3. In the effort to find employment opportunities in the private sector, JAPEM also collaborates with the Brunei Job Centre. Through this collaboration, clients are matched with suitable job opportunities based on their respective qualifications. In addition, JAPEM has also taken the initiative to establish direct cooperation with several local private companies (such as Takaza Company, Hua Ho, Rentokil, SKH and Simpor Pharma) to provide direct employment opportunities to aid clients. This approach involves discussions with employers as well as the process of matching candidates with the positions offered, particularly in fields of work that do not require high academic qualifications. These efforts have shown positive results, where a total of 257 clients successfully obtained employment from 2022 to 2025.

4. In addition, as an effort towards moving recipient families out of dependence on assistance, one of the Ministry’s efforts is also to focus on their children or dependants in obtaining employment. For example, the Program Inovasi Belia Berwawasan (PIBB) is targeted at youths from recipient families, aged 16 to 21, who are not in school and not working, where this programme runs for 9 months, namely 3 months at PKBN, 3 months at the Polytechnic and 3 months in work placement. Out of 77 participants, 47 have successfully obtained employment, while others have continued their studies or started businesses. The Department of Community Development (JAPEM) has also implemented several direct job placement initiatives within this department. Among these initiatives is the placement of aid recipient clients and their dependants as JAPEM hotline operators on a daily-paid basis. To date, three (3) clients have been appointed under this initiative. This opportunity not only provides exposure to the working world, but also helps improve basic skills and self-confidence among aid recipients.

5. Apart from that, JAPEM has also taken in eleven (11) clients as Social Contract Workers for a period of three (3) years. Through the Program TADRIBAT and the Mentee Programme, which consist of children of aid recipients, these clients are assigned to assist in the management of SKN application cases, particularly those involving investigations and follow-up actions for aid applications. Through this job placement, the Ministry hopes that they will gain meaningful work experience and at the same time strengthen their ability to work in other sectors and places. The implementation of these initiatives is intended to enable aid recipients to gradually transition from dependence on welfare assistance to a more self-reliant and productive life. At the same time, it also helps meet the need for support manpower at JAPEM and will in turn contribute to improving the efficiency of service delivery to the community.

6. That is all I can elaborate on, thank you.