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Talent Wiki - Brunei

Your quick guide on talent and labor compliance norms in Brunei

Capital

Bandar Seri Begawan

Currency

Brunei Dollar (BND)

Languages

Brunei Malay

Payroll Frequency

Monthly

GDP per Capita

$42,939

Employer Tax

8.5%

Talent Overview

Brunei is a developed industrialized nation with wealth generated from petroleum and natural gas fields. The country ranks second in the human development index among Southeast Asian countries, after Singapore.

Major economic hubs:

Bandar Seri Begawan, Kuala Belait, Seria, Tutong

Skills in demand:

Oil and gas industry skills, digital technology skills

Local Universities

The top local universities with rank in Brunei is mentioned below

Universiti Brunei Darussalam

Ranking

Local: 1

World: 3051

Universiti Teknologi Brunei

Ranking

Local: 2

World: 8162

Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali

Ranking

Local: 3

World: 8754

Politeknik Brunei

Ranking

Local: 4

World: 9708

Salary Data

Below are the average monthly salaries for the following job positions:

Job Title Average Monthly Salary (BND) Average Monthly Salary (USD)
Customer Service Representative 1,160 865
Software Engineer 3,130 2,335
Developer/ Programmer 2,950 2,200
Data Scientist 5,290 3,946
UX Designer 2,780 2073
Product Manager 4,420 3,297
Sales Representative 5,700 4,252

Talent Sourcing Tips

Top Local Job Boards

JobsBrunei.com, JobsCentre Brunei, JobRank

Number of LinkedIn users

103,400

Top Recruitment Agencies

Nor & Allan Employment Agency, Roze Rohaya Employment Agency

Employing in Brunei

Employments are highly concentrated in the service sector, focusing on wholesale and retail trade. Get to know more about employment in Brunei.

Employee Contract

Employment contracts are mandatory in Brunei and are written in English.

Probation Period

The usual probationary period followed in Brunei is from 1 – 90 days.

Public and Provincial Holidays 2023

Date Name Type
1 Jan New Year’s Day Public Holiday
2 Jan Day off for New Year’s Day Public Holiday
22 Jan Lunar New Year Public Holiday
23 Jan Day off for Lunar New Year Public Holiday
18 Feb Isra and Mi’raj (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
23 Feb National Day Public Holiday
23 Mar Ramadan Start (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
8 Apr Nuzul Al-Qur’an (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
22 Apr Eid ul Fitr (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
23 Apr Eid Al Fitr Holiday (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
24 Apr Eid Al Fitr Holiday (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
25 Apr Day off for Eid Al Fitr Holiday (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
31 May Royal Brunei Armed Forces Day Public Holiday
29 Jun Eid al-Adha (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
15 Jul Sultan’s Birthday Public Holiday
19 Jul Muharram/Islamic New Year (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
28 Sep Milad un Nabi (Mawlid) (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
25 Dec Christmas Day Public Holiday

Employee Leaves

Type of leave Time Period Mandatory
Annual leave/Earned Leave 7 days Yes
Sick Leave 60 days Yes
Maternity Leave 9 weeks Yes

Payroll

Payroll Cycle

An employee must be paid at least once a month. All salaries other than overtime payment must be paid within 7 days after the end of the salary period.

Minimum Wage

No minimum wage is followed in Brunei.

Overtime Pay

The various instances of overtime work and their respective pays are as follows:

Bonus

13th Month Pay

It is not mandatory to provide 13th-month pay in Brunei.

Employee Benefits

  • Maternity Benefits
  • Pension Scheme
  • TAP

Taxes

Employer Payroll Tax:

Type of Tax Tax contribution
Supplemental Contributory Pension Scheme (SCP) 3.5%
Employees Trust Fund (TAP) ( for local employees) 5%
Total cost on Employer 8.5%

Employee Payroll Tax

Type of Tax Tax contribution%
Supplemental Contributory Pension Scheme (SCP) 3.5%
State-managed provident fund (Tabung Amanah Perkerja (TAP)) 5%
Total cost of employee 8.5%

Employee Income Tax

Brunei does not impose income tax on individual persons.

VAT

There is no VAT in Brunei Darussalam.

Offboarding & Termination

Termination of contract may occur when:

  • Upon completion or expiry of the employment contract
  • There is a mutual agreement to terminate
  • There has been a breach of contract

The notice period for employees on probation and permanent employees is between one to four weeks.

If the employer terminates the employee, he is entitled to receive his total salary due.

If the employee resigns, there are two instances:

  • The person who has served the notice period – must be paid all salary due on the last day of employment.
  • The person has not given notice and is serving the notice period – all salary due must be paid within 7 days after the employee’s last day.

Visa and Immigration

A foreign worker license or Lesen Pekeria Asing (LPA) is needed to employ foreign workers.

Streamline payroll and compliance for your international workforce

Payroll

Minimum Wage

Overtime Pay

  • Working on Sunday/rest day at employer’s request:-

If an employee works up to half-day work – payment: basic salary of 1 full working day

In case an employee works more than half a day – payment: basic salary of 2 full working day

  • Working on Sunday/rest day at own request – Payment: Half-day basic salary for work up to half the normal working hours of one day.
  • Employee working beyond normal daily working day hours on a rest day – Payment: 1.5 times the basic hourly pay.
  • In the case of a person employed on a monthly rate pay:

Hourly rate of overtime pay = (12 x the employee’s monthly basic rate of salary) divided by (52 weeks x 44 hours)

  • In the case of a person employed on a daily rate pay:

Hourly rate of overtime pay = (Daily pay at the basic salary) Divided By (Working hours per day)

  • In the case of a person employed on a piece rate pay:

Hourly rate of overtime pay = (Hourly basic rate of pay * 1.5* no. of hours overtime worked)

Salary for overtime must be paid within 14 days after the end of the salary period.

Visa & Immigration