Answer for Oral Question PL183 & PL271

QUESTIONS

Yang Berhormat Dayang Hajah Safiah binti Sheikh Haji Abd. Salam

YANG BERHORMAT DAYANG HAJAH SAFIAH BINTI SHEIKH HAJI ABD SALAM asked the MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS to state the extent to which the Ministry has conducted a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness and impact of the Brunei Job Centre as a labour-matching mechanism, including data on placement rates, retention of local workers and skills gaps, in order to sustainably strengthen local employment?

Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Suyoi bin Haji Osman

YANG BERHORMAT PEHIN ORANG KAYA INDERA PAHLAWAN DATO SERI SETIA AWANG HAJI SUYOI BIN HAJI OSMAN asked the MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS to state the efforts and plans of the MPEC to channel approximately 3,500–4,500 graduates who remain registered as jobseekers into temporary employment in fields related to their studies, such as IT, digital literacy, AI, early childhood education and agriculture, as assistants, mentors and trainers. In addition to providing temporary employment, this could also contribute to the implementation of several Wawasan 2035 plans.

ANSWER

Yang Berhormat Menteri Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri

It is a pleasure to share that the Brunei Job Centre (PPB) was established in 2017. The role of the PPB encompasses not only matching local jobseekers with employment opportunities, but has now also been expanded to provide more comprehensive human capital development services aimed at improving the marketability and employability of local jobseekers. These services include job matching, career advisory services, apprenticeship programmes, upskilling and reskilling, as well as the assessment of localisation efforts through the Foreign Worker Clearance Letter (FWCL) process. In this regard, the effectiveness of the PPB is assessed through three main performance indicators (KPIs), namely:

i. the number of local workers recruited in the private sector;
ii. the number of participants in apprenticeship programmes; and
iii. participation in and completion rates for short-term courses.

In general, national targets for the recruitment of local citizens are set annually and monitored by the Manpower Planning and Employment Council (MPEC). The targets average 13,035 persons per year, with an average achievement of 11,914 persons per year (or 91 per cent).

Of this total, the Brunei Job Centre (PPB) also contributes through the recruitment of local citizens in the private sector, achieving the target of filling 3,000 positions in total each year for the period from 2023 to 2025, namely:

• 3,311 (111%) persons in 2023,
• 3,056 (102%) persons in 2024, and
• 3,102 (103%) persons in 2025.

Based on the records of the Brunei Job Centre (PPB) for the period concerned, the majority of vacancies successfully filled were in the accommodation and food services sector (such as waiters), the wholesale and retail trade sector, including the repair of motor vehicles (such as cashiers and salespersons), the administrative and support services sector (such as security guards and clerks), as well as the mining and quarrying sector (such as riggers). These sectors have consistently recorded high demand for workers and continue to be among the main contributors to employment opportunities in the private sector.

Based on the aforementioned achievement trend, the recruitment target for 2026 was increased to 3,500 positions in total. As at 30 June 2026, 1,501 persons had obtained employment through the initiatives of the Brunei Job Centre.

Nevertheless, an assessment of effectiveness should not be based solely on the number of placements. Attention is also given to the suitability of the matching, retention of local workers, career progression, productivity and skills gaps. Employer feedback and findings from the Employer Based Survey 2024–2025 and a joint study with the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS) in 2025 indicated that some of the main challenges faced were candidates not meeting the required experience or skills, mismatched salary and job expectations, as well as candidates withdrawing from the recruitment process.

As at 30 June 2026, a total of 14,976 active jobseekers were recorded with the Brunei Job Centre, with the following breakdown:

• 4,740 persons (31.7%) possessed Bachelor's Degree qualifications and above;
• 1,944 persons (13%) possessed HND and equivalent qualifications;
• 3,217 persons (21.5%) possessed TVET qualifications;
• 503 persons (3.4%) possessed A Level and equivalent qualifications; and
• 4,572 persons (30.5%) possessed secondary-level qualifications and below.

Of the total number of active jobseekers, 2,114 persons (14 per cent) possessed qualifications in the fields of information technology, digital literacy, artificial intelligence, early childhood education and agriculture. At the same time, 147 vacancies in these fields had been advertised through the Brunei Job Centre portal as at 30 June 2026. As at 31 July 2026, three (3) positions had been filled, while the remainder remained active. This data shows that there is a pool of potential local talent that can be mobilised to gain relevant work experience while contributing to the implementation of national development programmes.

Therefore, job-matching efforts will continue to prioritise local citizens.

With regard to the proposal to channel graduates into temporary employment, the Government, through the Manpower Planning and Employment Council (MPEC), together with Government agencies and the private sector, has established several mechanisms to channel local citizens into suitable employment, whether permanent or temporary, including through the i-Ready Apprenticeship Programme, Clinical Supervisory Programme, and TechXplore. As at 30 June 2026, 177 part-time positions had been advertised through the Brunei Job Centre portal. Such programmes provide graduates with opportunities to gain actual work experience, improve their marketability and build an employment record before being considered for permanent employment. (For 2026, as at 30 June 2026, of the total 417 persons who had participated in the i-Ready Apprenticeship Programme, 57 were from the fields of information technology, digital literacy, artificial intelligence, early childhood education and agriculture.)

Moving forward, the impact assessment of the Brunei Job Centre will continue to be strengthened through improvements in data quality and sharing, post-placement tracking, employer feedback and skills-gap analysis. The success of these efforts will be measured not only by the number of local citizens who secure employment, but also by the extent to which they are able to retain their employment, the quality of the matching, their skills enhancement, career progression and productive contribution to the national economy. The success of these efforts will no longer be assessed based on the performance of an organisation in isolation, but through the ability of all parties to work together to generate a tangible impact for the people.