Labour market in Brunei

The labour force survey (Labour Force Survey (LFS)) of the economic planning and statistics department (Department of Economic Planning and Statistics (DEPS)) recorded 348,700 people of working age, 220,400 employed people and 11,600 unemployed people among those aged 18 and over in 2025. Compared with 2024, employment fell by 1,900 people, while the unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage points to 5.0 percent. In 2024, there were 203,600 employees, 6,900 employers, 10,500 self-employed people and 1,300 contributing family workers. The informal sector comprised 12,200 people, or 5.5 percent; among domestic workers, 66.4 percent were in informal employment. In 2024, 158,400 citizens and 63,900 foreign workers were employed in Brunei. The public sector employed 67,100 people and the private sector 155,200. The largest economic sectors were public administration with 41,600 employees, wholesale and retail trade with 28,400, and construction with 24,600. Among occupational groups, service and sales workers led with 50,800 employees, followed by professionals with 39,700 and technicians and comparable skilled workers with 33,000. The statistics use agriculture, industry and services under the BDSIC 2011 classification (BDSIC 2011) in conjunction with ISIC Rev. 4. Employment grew particularly in wholesale and retail trade, food services and food production, petrochemical production, and information, professional, technical, administrative and support services. The number of self-employed people rose by 1,700 compared with the previous year, which also suggests more entrepreneurial and platform-based work. Brunei-Muara is the administrative and population centre, while Belait is characterised by industry and energy; however, the reviewed data do not support reliable rankings of employment by district. In 2025, around 332,700 people lived in Brunei-Muara, 67,900 in Belait, 48,500 in Tutong and 9,500 in Temburong. For formal qualifications, the Brunei technical and vocational education institute (Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE)) offers technical and vocational education: Level 2 of the Brunei Darussalam Qualifications Framework (BDQF) corresponds to an ISQ qualification (ISQ), Level 3 to an NTec qualification (NTec), Level 4 to an HNTec qualification (HNTec), and Level 5 to a diploma. Fields include, among others, engineering, information and communication technology, hospitality, business, agricultural technology, construction and health sciences. The Brunei employment centre (Pusat Pekerjaan Brunei / JobCentre Brunei (PPB/JCB)) supports job placement and employability. According to JCB, the i-Ready programme (i-Ready) is intended for citizens or permanent residents who are registered with PPB, unemployed or have limited work experience; the stated age range is 17 to 40 years, the duration is 18 months, and the qualification groups are bachelor's degree, BDQF Level 5, and BDQF Levels 2 to 4. Applications are submitted online through JCB, followed by selection and an interview; a processing period of 30 calendar days is stated for recruitment. The SkillsPlus programme (SkillsPlus) is intended for jobseekers and freelancers aged 16 to 55 without fixed employment and requires JCB registration. Support amounts to a maximum of 1,000 BND per person or 15,000 BND per company for short training courses. Average monthly income was 1,683 BND in 2024, while median income was 1,000 BND. Average income in the public sector was 2,122 BND and in the private sector 1,494 BND. The first stage of application of the minimum-wage order (Employment (Minimum Wage) Order 2025) set a basic wage of 500 BND per month for full-time work or 2.62 BND per hour for part-time work in banks and financial institutions and information and communication technology companies. The rule applies to citizens and foreign workers in covered companies, but not to the government, trainees, Professional Visit Visa holders, Special Authorisation Work Pass holders, domestic workers, informal workers, seafarers or volunteers. The salary guideline (Salary Guideline) is separate and contains a recommendation, not a generally applicable statutory minimum wage. Foreign employment operates through a foreign-worker licence (Foreign Worker Licence (LPA)) and the national labour management system (National Labour Management System (NLMS)). Employers submit company and worker documents, provide a list of local employees verified by TAP, and submit the required qualifications. The employment planning council (Manpower Planning and Employment Council (MPEC)), PPB/JCB and the Department of Labour participate in placement, approval, control and enforcement depending on the procedure. Requirements concerning the local-to-foreign workforce ratio (Local-Foreign Workforce Ratio), also referred to as nationalization (Nationalization) or NTA, and levies on foreign workers limit their scale and use; foreign employment is intended to supplement local employment and become more localized over time. In construction, the number of foreign workers increased from 14,400 in 2023 to 19,600 in 2024. The employment order (Employment Order 2009) provides the framework for wages, working hours and leave; employer obligations concerning accommodation for foreign workers and inspections by the Department of Labour may also apply. LPA processing times vary; for new companies, an inspection within one week is mentioned. Reliable official fees were not stated in the reviewed sources. Contribution and pension systems (TAP, SCP and SPK) are among the systems referred to in this context.