105 Recruitment & Hiring in Brunei Statistics, Data & Trends for 2026

Section 1: Overall Labour Market & Unemployment Indicators

1. Brunei’s unemployment rate dropped from 5.1% in 2023 to 4.7% in 2024, marking a positive trajectory in the country’s labour market recovery and reflecting the government’s ongoing efforts to expand local employment opportunities.

2. The broader unemployment measure for workers aged 15 and above fell from 5.2% to 4.8% in 2024, suggesting that job creation efforts are reaching a wider age band of the working population.

3. With the total employed population rising 2.8% to 222,700 persons in 2024, Brunei’s workforce is growing at a meaningful pace, though the gains remain concentrated in specific sectors.

4. Brunei’s labour force reached a record high of 233,800 persons in 2024, indicating that more residents are actively participating in the job market — a positive sign for long-term economic productivity.

5. The working-age population (15+) stood at 346,800 persons in 2024, providing Brunei with a sizeable talent pool, though converting this potential into active employment remains a key policy challenge.

6. A labour force participation rate of 64% among those aged 15 and above in 2024 shows that nearly two-thirds of working-age Bruneians are economically active, though room for improvement remains compared to regional peers.

7. With 131,000 working-age individuals (36%) still outside the labour force in 2024, Brunei has a significant reservoir of potential workers who could be engaged through targeted upskilling and incentive programmes.

8. Among adults aged 18 and above, a participation rate of 67.4% reflects a reasonably active workforce, though strategies to bring more women and youth into employment could push this figure higher.

9. The employed population among adults aged 18 and above reached 222,300 in 2024, a figure that underscores solid but not yet complete labour market recovery from the disruptions of earlier years.

10. A World Bank modelled employment-to-population ratio of 60.85% for Brunei in 2025 places the country at a moderate level globally, highlighting the need to convert more of its working-age population into productive employment.

11. Brunei’s ILO-modelled labour force participation rate hitting a record low of 63.74% in 2024 is a nuanced data point — while raw employment numbers rose, the share of the population actively working or job-seeking declined, warranting attention from policymakers.

12. Brunei’s official unemployment rate of 4.70% in 2024, as tracked by Trading Economics, places it in a relatively stable position regionally, though it remains higher than high-income peer nations like Singapore (2%) and Japan (2.5%).

13. Having reduced unemployment from a historical peak of 9.3% down to 4.7% in 2024 demonstrates measurable long-term progress, though analysts caution that sustained economic diversification is needed to maintain this downward trend.

14. The 10,900 individuals still unemployed in 2024 represent not just a statistic but a real policy priority — targeted placement and reskilling programmes are critical to absorbing this group into Brunei’s workforce.

15. Brunei’s 2023 average unemployment rate of 5.18% (ILO estimate) serves as a useful baseline for understanding how the 2024 improvements compare against the medium-term trend, showing genuine — if modest — progress.

Section 2: Sectoral & Private vs. Public Employment

16. Private sector employment growth of 4% in 2024, compared to just 0.3% in the public sector, signals that Brunei’s economy is beginning to shift away from heavy reliance on government jobs — a structural change many economists view as healthy for long-term sustainability.

17. With the private sector now employing 70% of the total workforce, Brunei’s employment distribution is moving in a commercially diversified direction, though the public sector remains a critical employer for local graduates.

18. The fact that 58% of local workers are now employed in the private sector marks a notable cultural and economic shift, as previous generations of Bruneians typically prioritised public sector employment for its job security and benefits.

19. The remaining 42% of local workers in the public sector reflects the continued importance of government as a major employer in Brunei, a pattern common in resource-rich Gulf-style economies.

20. An 18.3% employment surge in wholesale and retail trade in 2024 suggests strong domestic consumption and business activity, making this sector one of the most dynamic recruitment opportunities for jobseekers in the near term.

21. Construction employment rising by 15.8% in 2024 points to an active infrastructure pipeline in Brunei, creating demand for both skilled tradespeople and project management professionals.

22. A 13.5% growth in accommodation and food services employment in 2024 reflects the early recovery of Brunei’s tourism and hospitality sector, which is a priority area under the country’s economic diversification agenda.

23. Services accounting for 77% of total employment in 2023 confirms Brunei’s structural identity as a services-dominant economy, with significant hiring opportunities concentrated in professional, financial, and public services.

24. Oil and gas contributing 46.7% of GDP while employing a proportionally small workforce highlights an ongoing challenge in Brunei: the country’s primary revenue engine does not generate enough jobs to absorb its growing labour force.

25. The non-oil and gas sector crossing the 50% GDP threshold and accounting for 70% of exports in 2024 is an encouraging milestone that signals real economic diversification — and with it, new and more varied employment opportunities for Bruneians.

26. The occupational breakdown in 2024 — led by service/sales workers (25.6%), professionals (22.5%), and technicians (15.4%) — reflects a workforce that is increasingly skilled and aligned with a modern, services-based economy.

27. Public administration remaining the top employer of local workers (26%) highlights how government employment still anchors livelihoods in Brunei, even as private sector growth accelerates.

28. Local workers constituting 71.3% of the employed population in 2024 reflects Brunei’s Bruneianisation policy in action, though the remaining 28.7% foreign workers continue to fill critical skills gaps across multiple sectors.

29. The observed uptick in self-employment in 2024 aligns with regional gig economy trends and suggests that Bruneians are increasingly exploring entrepreneurship as a viable career path, particularly in digital and creative fields.

30. The 1.9% of employed Bruneians holding a secondary job in 2024 may appear small, but it indicates that some workers are either supplementing insufficient primary incomes or exploring emerging freelance and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Section 3: Youth Unemployment & Education Mismatch

31. A youth unemployment rate of 18.23% in 2025 (World Bank modelled) highlights one of Brunei’s most persistent labour market challenges — getting young people into meaningful employment remains a central concern for recruiters, educators, and policymakers alike.

32. The marginal decline from 18.50% youth unemployment in 2023 to 18.49% in 2024 suggests that progress on reducing youth joblessness is extremely slow, underscoring the need for more targeted and urgent intervention strategies.

33. DEPS domestic data placing youth unemployment at 16.8% indicates that while international modelled estimates and local survey data differ slightly in methodology, both confirm that youth unemployment in Brunei is a structural — not cyclical — issue.

34. Brunei recording ASEAN’s highest youth unemployment rate of 28.9% in 2017 was a stark wake-up call; the subsequent decline to below 20% by 2024 shows progress, but the country’s youth unemployment still ranks among the highest in the region.

35. With a historical average youth unemployment rate of 19.58% and a peak of 31.45%, Brunei’s youth labour market has been persistently challenged — making the current sub-20% rate a relative improvement, though far from resolved.

36. Brunei’s youth unemployment of 16.64% in 2023 sitting marginally above the world average of 16.02% may not seem alarming in isolation, but for a high-income nation with a small population, it reflects a structural inefficiency that demands attention.

37. Adults aged 25–64 making up nearly 60% of the unemployed population in 2024 challenges the assumption that unemployment in Brunei is purely a youth issue — mid-career workers and older adults are also significantly affected.

38. The finding that 54.1% of unemployed adults had secondary education or below is a double signal: it points to a skills gap among lower-educated workers, but also suggests that Brunei’s education and training system needs to do more to prepare graduates for available roles.

39. The 2021 survey finding that most unemployed youth in Brunei had secondary, vocational, or tertiary backgrounds reveals that the problem is not just about education level — it is about whether education programmes are aligned with employer needs.

40. The fact that most unemployed youth in Brunei struggle to find work even after more than a year of searching indicates deep structural mismatches between job seeker skills and employer requirements — a costly problem for both individuals and the national economy.

Section 4: Gender & Workforce Participation

41. The female labour force participation rate declining slightly to 53.19% in 2024 suggests that Brunei has yet to fully leverage the economic potential of its female population, with caregiving responsibilities and cultural norms continuing to influence women’s employment decisions.

42. The record low female LFPR of 30.42% among women aged 15–24 in 2024 is particularly concerning, as it suggests young Bruneian women are increasingly disengaged from the labour market at the critical early stage of their working lives.

43. The stark employment gap — approximately 70% for men versus 50% for women in working-age Brunei — illustrates a gender imbalance that constrains both individual economic mobility and the country’s overall productivity.

44. Female LFPR peaking at 57.72% in 2018 and declining steadily since then suggests that earlier gains in women’s workforce participation have not been sustained, possibly due to insufficient structural support such as childcare and flexible work policies.

45. Local Bruneian women holding 85% of medium- and high-skill jobs while accounting for only 35% of low-skill roles demonstrates that educated local women are well-represented in professional careers, with lower-skilled positions largely filled by foreign female workers.

46. Foreign female workers dominating 65% of low-skill jobs despite being only 22% of female employment highlights a pronounced occupational segmentation in Brunei’s labour market, with significant implications for wages, rights, and working conditions.

47. The monthly earnings of BND 490 for foreign female workers in elementary occupations — roughly half the national median — illustrates a significant wage disparity that raises important questions about fair pay and labour standards in Brunei.

48. The female-to-male LFPR ratio declining from 82% in 2017 to 73.9% in 2022 suggests that gender parity in workforce participation is moving in the wrong direction, making the case for more proactive policy intervention.

49. A documented gender pay gap in Brunei, where male average salaries typically exceed female counterparts, is a common challenge across Southeast Asia, but addressing it is increasingly important for employer branding and talent retention in a competitive hiring market.

50. Government initiatives aimed at advancing women’s leadership in Brunei’s workforce signal a positive direction of travel — but progress is best measured through gender pay gap data, female representation in senior roles, and LFPR trends over time.

Section 5: Wages, Compensation & Minimum Wage

51. The BND 500/month (BND 2.62/hour) minimum wage effective from April 2025 represents a significant baseline for employers and jobseekers alike, ensuring a minimum standard of pay across Brunei’s key industries for the first time.

52. Introducing the minimum wage in phases — starting with banking and ICT in July 2023 — shows a pragmatic, sector-by-sector rollout that allows businesses time to adjust, though critics argue full economy-wide coverage is still some way off.

53. The second-phase expansion of minimum wage coverage to nine sub-industries across six sectors in April 2025 broadens the policy’s reach meaningfully, particularly benefiting workers in healthcare, education, hospitality, and professional services.

54. Fines of up to BND 3,000 and potential imprisonment for minimum wage non-compliance signal that the Brunei government is treating this policy seriously, providing some assurance to workers that the regulation carries real enforcement weight.

55. An average monthly salary of approximately BND 2,500 in Brunei in 2025 places the country firmly in high-income territory for the region, though the distribution of wages varies widely across industries, occupations, and worker nationality.

56. The salary range from BND 1,200 for lower-income workers to BND 5,000+ for senior professionals reflects a significant income spread in Brunei, with hiring strategies needing to account for very different expectations depending on the role and talent pool targeted.

57. Gross monthly salaries ranging from BND 1,231 to BND 5,232 provide a useful benchmark for employers calibrating compensation packages, particularly as competition for skilled talent in Brunei increases across the private sector.

58. An annual average salary of approximately BND 57,360 and a median monthly salary of BND 4,780 position Brunei’s compensation landscape as competitive within Southeast Asia, particularly given the absence of personal income tax.

59. Tech professionals in Brunei commanding BND 60,000–BND 120,000 annually — and top roles reaching BND 180,000 — illustrates the premium that Brunei’s emerging digital economy is placing on scarce, high-value technology talent.

60. Cybersecurity Managers earning BND 80,000–BND 120,000 annually in Brunei reflects the global scarcity of cybersecurity expertise and the increasing importance Brunei’s government and private sector are placing on digital security.

61. The absence of personal income tax in Brunei is a powerful recruitment tool that employers can leverage when competing for regional talent, as take-home pay is significantly higher compared to equivalent roles in Singapore, Malaysia, or the Philippines.

62. The 5% employee and 5% employer TAP contribution structure is relatively modest compared to mandatory pension schemes in neighbouring countries, making Brunei’s total employment cost competitive without being prohibitively high for businesses.

63. With maximum working hours capped at 44 per week and overtime strictly regulated at no more than 72 hours per month, Brunei’s employment framework provides workers with reasonable legal protections — though compliance monitoring remains important.

64. Mandatory overtime pay at 150% of the basic hourly rate is a standard regional benchmark that ensures workers are fairly compensated for additional hours, and should be factored into total labour cost projections by employers.

65. Average working hours rising to 46.5 per week in 2024 — above the legal maximum of 44 hours — suggests that overtime is commonplace in Brunei workplaces, raising questions about workforce burnout, productivity, and regulatory compliance.

Section 6: Macroeconomic Context & Growth Drivers

66. Brunei’s labour force projected to peak around 2030 before gradually declining is a critical long-range signal for HR planners and employers — the window to hire from a growing local talent pool is narrowing, making workforce retention strategies increasingly important.

67. A labour force dependency ratio projected to exceed 50% by 2045 and 80% by end of century underscores the long-term demographic pressure Brunei faces, reinforcing the urgency of investing in productivity, automation, and immigration policy to sustain economic output.

68. The ICT sector contributing BND 489.4 million to Brunei’s GDP in 2024 confirms that technology is a genuine and growing economic driver — not just a policy aspiration — creating real and measurable demand for digital talent in the country.

69. With ICT targeted to account for approximately 5% of GDP by 2025, the sector represents one of the most fertile grounds for job creation in Brunei, particularly for locally trained graduates in software, data, and cybersecurity fields.

70. The Brunei ICT Industry Competency Framework’s mapping of 79 competencies across 20 roles is a valuable tool for both recruiters and educators, providing a structured reference for aligning hiring criteria with national skills development priorities.

71. The identification of roles such as Data Analyst, Security Engineer, and Solutions Architect as high-demand ICT positions signals to Bruneian jobseekers and training institutions exactly where future-proofed skills investment should be directed.

72. The mapping of 60 critical occupations across energy, construction, ICT, hospitality, and logistics by MPEC provides employers and policymakers with a shared vocabulary for workforce planning and targeted recruitment drives.

73. JobCentre Brunei successfully matching 3,299 jobseekers to private sector roles in 2024 demonstrates the tangible impact of government-facilitated employment services, though the figure also implies that many more registered jobseekers remain unplaced.

74. Non-oil and gas exports climbing from less than 10% to 70% of total exports between 2019 and 2024 represents one of the most dramatic economic structural shifts in Brunei’s recent history, generating diverse new employment opportunities across manufacturing, services, and technology.

75. Brunei’s real GDP growth of 4.2% in 2024 — among ASEAN’s highest — provides a favourable macroeconomic backdrop for hiring, as expanding businesses are more likely to invest in new staff and longer-term workforce development.

76. A GDP per capita of USD 33,418 in 2024 confirms Brunei’s status as a high-income economy, which shapes both employee salary expectations and employer capacity to offer competitive remuneration packages relative to regional peers.

77. Brunei’s total GDP of approximately USD 15.46 billion in 2024 is a relatively modest economy in absolute terms, which means that large-scale job creation is structurally constrained — making targeted sector-level hiring strategies more effective than broad-based approaches.

78. Projected inflation of just 0.4% in 2025 is a stabilising factor for the hiring environment, as low price pressures reduce the urgency of wage inflation demands from employees and help employers maintain more predictable compensation budgets.

79. GDP growth normalising to approximately 2% in 2025 after the exceptional 4.2% growth of 2024 suggests employers should anticipate a more measured pace of hiring expansion — solid but not dramatic — in the near term.

80. The DEPS Labour Underutilization measure — combining unemployment, underemployment, and latent workforce potential — provides a more complete picture of labour market slack than headline unemployment alone, and should be a reference point for any comprehensive workforce strategy.

Section 7: Hiring Trends, Talent Demand & Recruitment Environment

81. The MPEC Salary Guideline’s coverage of 100 job positions drawn from data on 114,865 private sector employees makes it one of the most statistically robust domestic pay benchmarking tools available, offering employers a credible foundation for setting competitive salaries.

82. The MPEC salary dataset’s base of 183,617 total employees as of September 2020 means that the guideline captures a meaningful cross-section of the private sector workforce — though an updated dataset reflecting 2024–2025 market conditions would be more actionable for current hiring decisions.

83. Employers in Brunei increasingly competing on flexible work options, career development, and culture — not just salary — reflects a maturing job market where workers have more expectations and more choices than in previous decades.

84. The emphasis on soft skills such as critical thinking, communication, adaptability, and emotional intelligence by Brunei employers aligns with global hiring trends, suggesting that technical qualifications alone are insufficient for candidates seeking roles in the country’s evolving economy.

85. High talent demand concentrated in IT, healthcare, education, finance, and tourism signals to both jobseekers and educational institutions which disciplines are most strategically important for Brunei’s workforce pipeline in 2025 and beyond.

86. The growing adoption of remote and hybrid work in Brunei’s tech and creative sectors is broadening the talent pool available to employers, while simultaneously raising expectations among workers who now consider flexibility a baseline requirement rather than a perk.

87. The government’s push to expand STEM education and vocational training reflects a recognition that curriculum alignment with industry needs is a prerequisite for resolving Brunei’s persistent skills mismatch — a problem that cannot be solved by the labour market alone.

88. UBD, Politeknik Brunei, and IBTE forming the core of Brunei’s graduate talent pipeline means that recruiters who build strong institutional partnerships with these three bodies are well-positioned to access early-stage talent before competitors.

89. The intersection of digital transformation and economic diversification in Brunei is creating the most competitive salary environment in the technology and engineering space the country has seen, making talent attraction and retention in these fields increasingly challenging for employers.

90. Foreign workers continuing to dominate Brunei’s construction sector while their share in hospitality and retail falls below 40% shows the slow but observable progress of localisation policies in consumer-facing industries, even as technically demanding sectors remain dependent on overseas labour.

91. The three-pillar approach to skills mismatch — Supply (upskilling), Demand (industry alignment), and Enablers (policy) — outlined in AMRO’s working paper provides a practical policy framework that employers and educators can use to structure their workforce development investments.

92. The designation of halal manufacturing, renewable energy, agritech, ICT, and creative industries as priority employment sectors under Wawasan 2035 gives employers in these fields a structural policy tailwind — including potential access to government incentives, talent programmes, and preferential recruitment frameworks.

93. Growth observed across wholesale/retail, food services, ICT, manufacturing, and professional services in Brunei’s 2024 Quarterly Survey of Businesses confirms that diversification is not just a government ambition but is showing up in actual business activity and hiring patterns.

94. Wawasan 2035 explicitly naming low unemployment as a strategic national goal elevates workforce development to the highest level of government priority, which should translate into sustained funding, policy support, and institutional capacity for employment programmes over the coming decade.

95. The five priority employment sectors under Brunei’s national plan — Downstream Oil & Gas, Food, Tourism, ICT, and Services — provide a clear directional signal for employers, investors, and jobseekers about where the most durable, government-backed employment opportunities are likely to emerge.

Section 8: Demographics, Survey Methodology & Outlook

96. Only 1.5% of Brunei’s workers being aged 65 and over reflects a relatively young workforce profile, but the ageing trend is accelerating — making phased retirement, knowledge transfer, and succession planning increasingly important for employers in the medium term.

97. The raising of Brunei’s mandatory retirement age to 60 in 2010 has extended workforce tenure for many experienced workers, which is broadly positive for productivity but can also slow the pace of promotion opportunities for younger employees — a tension employers need to manage carefully.

98. The 2024 Labour Force Survey covering approximately 3,200 households across the country from October to November provides a nationally representative snapshot — and its findings carry the weight of official government data, making it the most authoritative source for workforce planning in Brunei.

99. The ILO i-Ready programme facilitated by JobCentre Brunei offering genuine workplace experience to local graduates is a practical intervention that bridges the gap between academic qualifications and employer expectations — directly addressing the employability deficit that drives youth unemployment.

100. A projected labour force of 236,350 persons in 2025 (Statista) provides a useful planning horizon for employers forecasting headcount needs, though actual figures will depend on LFPR trends, migration policy, and the pace of economic growth.

101. With approximately 11,580 persons forecast to remain unemployed in 2025, there is a meaningful available talent pool in Brunei for employers willing to invest in reskilling or on-the-job training — particularly for roles where technical barriers to entry can be lowered through structured development programmes.

102. Labour productivity of USD 32.50 per hour in 2025 places Brunei in a competitive range globally, though increasing this figure through technology adoption and skills upgrading is essential if the country is to sustain high wages without eroding business competitiveness.

103. A total population of approximately 466,330 in 2025 means Brunei remains a very small labour market in absolute terms, which amplifies the importance of retaining skilled nationals, attracting diaspora talent, and managing foreign worker inflows strategically.

104. The use of tablet-based, face-to-face household interviews in LFS data collection ensures a higher response quality than purely digital surveys, while the Statistics Act’s confidentiality protections provide respondents with the assurance needed to answer honestly and accurately.

105. Penalties of up to BND 4,000 for non-compliance with LFS data collection requirements underscore Brunei’s commitment to the integrity of its national statistics — robust data being the essential foundation upon which all evidence-based hiring and workforce policies must rest.