A new manpower committee quietly brings together government, universities and
industry.
Behind the presentations lies a deeper question about jobs, skills and the
future of the workforce.
BY MALAI HASSAN OTHMAN | KOPITALK WITH MHO
Government
planners. Oil and gas executives. University leaders. Technical training
institutions. Regulators. Contractors.
By
the time the session began, nearly a hundred participants had gathered.
The
occasion was the first meeting of the Manpower Industry Steering
Committee – Working Group Energy (MISC‑WG Energy), a platform bringing
together stakeholders across the entire energy ecosystem.
The
meeting ran from 8.00am to 11.00am, beginning with registration,
followed by the recitation of Surah Al‑Fatihah, opening remarks by the
Permanent Secretary (Energy) at the Prime Minister's Office, and breakout
discussions on manpower demand, capability outlook and skills gaps in the
sector.
At
one level, it looked like a typical policy workshop.
But
anyone familiar with the labour landscape in Brunei would recognise that the
subject of the meeting carried far greater weight.
The
issue on the table was manpower.
And
behind that single word lies one of the most important questions facing the
country today.
The working group itself did not emerge overnight.
It
was first established in August 2019 under the Manpower Planning and
Employment Council (MPEC) as part of a broader national effort to
align the manpower needs of the energy industry with the country's local talent
pipeline.
At
the time, projections suggested that the energy and construction
sectors could require around 13,000 skilled workers within five years. The
figure served as an early signal that workforce preparation would become one of
the defining challenges of the coming decade.
Seen
from that perspective, last week's meeting was not merely a routine gathering.
It
was part of a longer policy journey to prepare the national workforce for a
changing industrial landscape.
A Room That Reflected the Whole
Energy Ecosystem
The
composition of the working group itself tells an important story.
The
committee is co‑led by Hajah Farida binti Dato Seri Paduka Haji Talib,
Permanent Secretary (Energy), and Pengiran Haji Jamra Weira bin
Pengiran Haji Petra, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Energy).
Around
them sat representatives from almost every layer of the energy sector.
Government
agencies responsible for manpower planning and employment policy.
Regulatory
bodies such as the Petroleum Authority and SHENA.
Universities
including Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Universiti Teknologi Brunei.
Training institutions like IBTE.
And
industry operators ranging from Brunei Shell Petroleum and Brunei LNG to
Petronas Carigali, Hengyi Industries, Brunei Methanol Company and Brunei
Fertilizer Industries.
Contractors
and service providers from the oil and gas supply chain were also present.
In
total, the working group brings together close to a hundred
participants across government, academia and industry.
It
is rare to see such a broad cross‑section of the manpower ecosystem assembled
in one place.
And
that alone hints at the seriousness of the issue being discussed.
A Labour Market That Appears
Stable — But Tells a More Complex Story
Official
statistics often suggest that Brunei's labour market remains relatively stable.
The
unemployment rate in recent years has hovered around four to five
percent, with roughly ten thousand individuals recorded as
unemployed.
In
global terms, that figure does not appear alarming.
Yet
numbers sometimes conceal as much as they reveal.
One
area that continues to concern policymakers is youth unemployment,
where the rate has been estimated at close to 18 percent. In simple
terms, nearly one in five young jobseekers struggles to find work.
For
families watching their children graduate from universities and technical
institutions, these numbers are more than statistics.
They
represent months — sometimes years — of uncertainty while young graduates
search for their first real opportunity.
Many
eventually find work.
But
not always immediately, and not always in roles aligned with their
qualifications.
This
widening gap between education and employment has quietly become one of the
defining labour challenges of the current decade.
The First Subtle Insight Hidden
in the Framework
One
of the targets highlighted in the discussion is the ambition of achieving 90
percent Bruneianisation across all levels and skill pools in the energy sector.
On
the surface, this reflects a long‑standing national aspiration — ensuring that
Bruneians increasingly take up key roles in strategic industries.
But
the same framework also acknowledges the need to develop detailed skills
intelligence reports and identify critical competency gaps across the
sector.
In
other words, the system recognises that while the country aims to increase
localisation, the pipeline of specialised skills may not yet be fully ready.
This
creates a quiet but important tension.
Localisation
cannot simply be declared.
It
has to be built — through training, industry exposure and long‑term capability
development.
The
goal of ninety percent participation therefore represents not only a policy
target, but also a challenge to the country's education and training ecosystem.
A Second, Deeper Contradiction
There
is, however, another detail in the framework that deserves closer attention.
Among
the key deliverables of the working group is the development of what is
described as a "Workforce Alignment and Mobility Framework" —
a mechanism designed to support job matching, redeployment and workforce
transitions within the energy sector.
At
first glance, this appears to be a sensible policy tool.
Industries
evolve, projects come and go, and workers sometimes need to move from one role
to another as operational demands change.
But
the presence of such a framework also reveals something deeper.
It
quietly acknowledges that the sector itself is entering a period of adjustment.
While
the committee aims to increase Bruneian participation in the industry, the
framework simultaneously prepares for the possibility that certain
roles may disappear while new ones emerge.
In
other words, the challenge is not only about creating jobs.
It
is also about managing transitions.
The
same policy architecture that seeks to strengthen localisation is also
preparing to manage workforce displacement.
This
dual objective reflects the complex reality of modern industries.
Economic
transformation rarely moves in a straight line. As sectors evolve, some skills
become less relevant while others suddenly become essential.
For
policymakers, this creates a delicate balancing act.
Encouraging
more Bruneians to enter the sector is important.
But
ensuring that existing workers are able to adapt, retrain and move into new
roles may prove just as critical.
In
that sense, the committee is not simply planning manpower for growth.
It
is also planning manpower for change.
And
perhaps that is the more difficult task.
Early Efforts to Build the
Pipeline
Several
initiatives have already emerged from the manpower ecosystem surrounding the
committee.
Among
them is the iSkill programme, an industry‑aligned training
initiative designed to strengthen the competencies of locals preparing to enter
technical roles within the energy sector.
Another
development is the SkillUP digital platform, introduced in 2021 to
allow workers, contractors and regulators to track skills certification and
career progression across the industry.
These
initiatives reflect an effort to build a more structured skills pipeline — one
that connects training institutions, employers and regulators through a shared
competency framework.
Whether
these programmes will be sufficient to close the gap between ambition and
capability remains an open question.
But
they represent early attempts to prepare the workforce for a sector that is
steadily evolving.
A Sector Entering a Period of
Transition
The
timing of the committee's work is also significant.
The
global energy industry is undergoing structural change.
Traditional
oil and gas operations are becoming increasingly automated and technologically
advanced. At the same time, new areas such as downstream petrochemicals, energy
transition technologies and digital systems are emerging across the sector.
For
Brunei, this transformation presents both opportunity and challenge.
The
energy sector remains the backbone of the economy.
But
the skills required to sustain that backbone are changing.
Engineers
today must understand digital systems.
Technicians
must operate increasingly sophisticated equipment.
Managers
must navigate both operational efficiency and environmental expectations.
Preparing
the workforce for this evolving landscape cannot be left to individual
companies alone.
It
requires coordination across the entire ecosystem.
The Wawasan 2035 Connection
All
of this takes place against a larger national backdrop.
Brunei's
long‑term development blueprint, Wawasan 2035, envisions a highly
educated and skilled population supported by a dynamic and sustainable economy.
Yet
with less than a decade remaining before that milestone year, the workforce
question is becoming increasingly urgent.
Economic
diversification initiatives — from downstream petrochemicals to digital
industries — all depend on the same fundamental resource.
People.
Without
the right skills in the right places, even the most ambitious development
strategies will struggle to gain traction.
The Real Measure of Success
In
the end, the success of such initiatives will not be measured by how many
meetings are held or how many reports are produced.
It
will be measured by outcomes.
Whether
graduates are able to move smoothly into meaningful careers.
Whether
experienced workers can adapt as industries evolve.
Whether
companies can find the skills they need without constantly looking beyond the
country's borders.
And
whether the next generation of Bruneians sees opportunity rather than
uncertainty when they enter the labour market.
Because
manpower planning, ultimately, is not about frameworks or committees.
It is about people.
And
the quiet meeting held last Wednesday may one day be remembered not for its
presentations or breakout sessions — but
for the question it forced everyone in the room to confront.
Do
we have the workforce we need for the future we say we want? (MHO/03/2026)
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