Answer for Written Question PT011

QUESTION

Yang Berhormat Dr. Awang Haji Mahali bin Haji Momin

YANG BERHORMAT DR. AWANG HAJI MAHALI BIN HAJI MOMIN requested the MENTERI DI JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI DAN MENTERI KEWANGAN DAN EKONOMI II to state the extent to which the existing labour market and skills development strategies have been effective in improving job quality, labour productivity and skills matching in support of a more dynamic and resilient economy.

ANSWER

Yang Berhormat Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Ekonomi II

The Government continues to implement various labour market initiatives to realise the goals of Wawasan Brunei 2035, particularly Goal 1, which is to produce a highly educated, highly skilled and successful population.

In this regard, efforts to enhance the employability and skills of local youths are being implemented through various human capital development programmes under the Majlis Perancangan Tenaga Manusia dan Pekerjaan (MPEC). As at the end of 2025, a total of 17 programmes had been or were being implemented, with total participation of 15,177 participants since the programmes were introduced.

To assess the effectiveness of these programmes, the employment rate of participants after completing their training has shown encouraging progress.

Apprenticeship programmes that emphasise work experience, particularly the i-Ready Apprenticeship Programme and the Public Service Apprenticeship Scheme, recorded an average employment rate of approximately 70 per cent, thereby demonstrating the effectiveness of the work-based learning approach in enhancing participants’ employability.

In addition, human capital development programmes designed through the Manpower Industry Steering Committee (MISC), such as the iSkill Programme and Coding.bn, showed that approximately 36 per cent of participants had obtained employment in their respective fields after completing the programmes.

For professional certification programmes such as SPIN in Accountancy, 50 per cent of participants successfully obtained professional certification, enabling them to work in the accounting and auditing fields. Meanwhile, in the field of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE), 15 per cent of participants had registered with the Autoriti Kebangsaan Keselamatan, Kesihatan dan Alam Sekitar (SHENA) as certified Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Coordinators and Officers.

At the same time, to ensure that the programmes implemented remain relevant and responsive to the needs of the economy, the Pejabat Perancangan Tenaga Manusia (PPTM), Jabatan Perdana Menteri will continue to strengthen strategic cooperation with industry through the MISC platform. This cooperation is important for improving the design of training programmes and aligning the course areas offered with industry requirements, including taking into consideration new mega projects that are expected to commence operations in the near future.

From the perspective of job quality, the Government, through the MPEC, has also published the Salary Guideline for the private sector, covering 22 job families and 100 occupations. This guideline serves as a reference for more progressive salary scales, while also assisting employers in determining reasonable salary rates and providing local jobseekers with guidance on the market value of occupations, particularly at the early stages of their careers. The occupations listed are based on critical occupations identified by industry through the MISC as being in demand.

In addition, to ensure that workers do not receive excessively low wages, the Employment (Minimum Wage) Order was enforced on seven industries with effect from 1 April 2025. Based on the initial findings of a survey of companies in the industries concerned, the implementation of the Order has been well received by most industry stakeholders, with a positive level of acceptance and no significant challenges. The initial findings also indicated that its implementation had no widespread impact on companies’ operating costs.

In conclusion, the Government will continue to monitor the effectiveness of labour market policies and the programmes implemented to ensure that the initiatives introduced genuinely have an impact on the development of the country’s workforce. The Government will also continue to strengthen policies and programmes aligned with current economic needs in its efforts to ensure that the country has a highly skilled, competitive workforce that is ready to support the achievement of Wawasan Brunei 2035.