Unemployment in Brunei

The 2025 Labour Force Survey counted 232,000 people in Brunei's labour force, including 220,400 employed and 11,600 unemployed people aged 18 and over. The survey unemployment rate was 5.0%; it measures the labour market and is not a count of people registered for benefits. In June 2026, JobCentre Brunei recorded 14,976 active jobseekers. JobCentre Brunei, also called Pusat Pekerjaan Brunei or PPB, operates under the Prime Minister's Office and provides private-sector vacancy matching, consultations, CV support and interview assistance. Registration uses e-Darussalam, an active email address and a valid Brunei Smart Identity Card, and the profile must be completed before applications can be made. Registered Brunei citizens with a Yellow IC and permanent residents with a Purple or Red IC can apply for listed vacancies. Foreign workers may use e-Darussalam with a valid employment pass or work permit and Green IC, but access to e-Darussalam does not create the same JobCentre job-application eligibility. After a vacancy closes, the published recruitment target is 30 calendar days. Applications may still fail because of skills mismatch, limited experience, work-readiness issues, transport, family or health constraints, salary expectations or a planned industry change. JobCentre consultations can help identify which of these issues affects the search. Income support follows a targeted welfare model rather than an unemployment-insurance model. An unemployed household can apply online through Sistem Kebajikan Negara for Bantuan Kebajikan Am administered through JAPEM. JAPEM and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports assess need, vulnerability and household circumstances; the available research does not establish a fixed unemployment-specific rate or payment duration. Talian Kebajikan can be reached at 141. From 1 January 2023 to 24 July 2026, 22,274 recipients were recorded across JUZWAB and JAPEM, and 11,649 of them, or 52.3%, were unemployed; this is a targeted welfare caseload, not an unemployment-insurance statistic. Zakat support through JUZWAB may also be relevant where its conditions are met. Re-entry programmes include i-Ready, a paid apprenticeship and on-the-job training pathway through PPB. It is aimed at eligible local citizens and permanent residents who are registered with JobCentre Brunei, unemployed, not currently employed and have limited work experience. The published 18-month allowance is BND 800 for degree holders, BND 600 for diploma or BDQF Level 5 holders and BND 400 for TVET Levels 2 to 4. A private employer may add BND 400, BND 300 or BND 300 during months 11 to 18, depending on the qualification level. An employer may offer a permanent job after the programme, but placement is not automatic and current intake conditions depend on vacancy notices. SkillsPlus and L3C can fund training for local jobseekers and freelancers, usually for courses lasting less than one year. JobCentre registration is required, while funding availability and amounts can vary. CET programmes provide job-ready training together with a conditional employment offer in listed programmes, making them a direct re-entry option rather than a general description of continuing education. When unemployment follows a job ending, the contract and the reason for termination determine the available remedies. If the contract does not specify a notice period, the default period is one day for service below 26 weeks, one week for 26 weeks to less than two years, two weeks for two to less than five years and four weeks for five years or more. A dismissal for misconduct requires an inquiry before dismissal. Unpaid wages, a disputed termination or termination without notice can be raised with the Labour Enforcement Division of the Department of Labour. The complaint process requires a police report and personal submission together with identification, the employment pass or passport where relevant, the contract, job or attendance records and other supporting documents. TAP and SPK are retirement and social-security savings arrangements for eligible citizens and permanent residents under 60, not unemployment-insurance schemes. Unemployment or suspension of work can stop contributions and reduce the productivity factor used in the account calculation. The self-employed SPK pathway is available to qualifying citizens or permanent residents under 60 who have no formal-sector employment, run their own business without employees and make verified contributions of BND 17.50 to BND 40.00. Brunei's arrangements are national; no separate municipal unemployment system was evidenced.