Answer for Oral Question PL050

QUESTION

Yang Berhormat Awang Zainol bin Haji Mohamed

YANG BERHORMAT AWANG ZAINOL BIN HAJI MOHAMED asked MENTERI KEBUDAYAAN, BELIA DAN SUKAN to state the Ministry’s efforts in addressing the issue of some local youths avoiding jobs that require discipline or specialised skills, refusing to make long-term commitments and having a short-term career mindset.

ANSWER

Yang Berhormat Menteri Kebudayaan, Belia dan Sukan

Regarding the issue of short-term mindsets or job-hopping, this should not be viewed solely as a failure; rather, it reflects today’s labour market, which is not static.

In fact, the issue raised is not one that can be addressed by any party in a silo or independently. Instead, a whole-of-nation approach needs to be adopted. One of the initiatives implemented is through programmes to strengthen identity, particularly through Program Khidmat Bakti Negara (PKBN) and Program Jati Diri (PJD). These programmes have proven effective in transforming the character of youths, encompassing aspects of strict discipline, religious values, communication ethics and the development of high resilience before they enter the workforce. Through strategic cooperation with Pusat Pekerjaan Brunei at the Prime Minister’s Office and the Brunei Institute of Technical Education (IBTE), the PJD programme, which focuses on iSkill students, has successfully developed their mental and physical readiness to work in challenging technical fields. The participants’ success profiles demonstrate that this is a highly worthwhile human capital investment in producing competitive youths with the resilience to make long-term commitments.

Nevertheless, the Ministry wishes to emphasise that the issue of workplace resilience or staff retention does not rest solely on the shoulders of youths. Employers need to play an active role in providing a healthy and conducive working environment in order to prevent toxic work cultures or exploitation that could undermine the morale of youths. To ensure that youths remain committed, employers are encouraged to view their employees as valuable assets by providing commensurate remuneration, appropriate incentives and continuous training. These efforts are further strengthened through Pusat Pembangunan Belia (PPB), which provides specialised skills. Data from 2022 to 2024 show that the employability rate of PPB graduates was 84.5%. This proves that our youths are in fact ready to take on the challenges of jobs requiring specialised skills when provided with the right platform.

Apart from the formal labour market, the Ministry is also empowering the field of entrepreneurship through platforms such as BizBelia, a strategic collaboration with Bank Usahawan Berhad. Since its launch in August 2025, this product has received 36 applications and has been further strengthened with mentoring elements together with strategic partners such as DARe, as well as collaboration with higher education institutions and universities, to ensure that young entrepreneurs have sustainable business visions.

Overall, Kementerian Kebudayaan, Belia dan Sukan is highly committed to this effort. However, it requires an integrated approach involving the Government, youths and employers. With strong identity transformation and support from a fair working environment, we are confident that Brunei’s youths will be better prepared to build impactful long-term careers in line with Wawasan Brunei 2035.