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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

$35,998.73

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

Brunei Map

Local Universities

The top local universities in Brunei are as follows:

Brunei Uni1

Universiti Brunei Darussalam

Ranking

Local: 1

World: 2681

Brunei Uni2

Universiti Teknologi Brunei

Ranking

Local: 2

World: 7740

Uni4

Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali

Ranking

Local: 3

World: 8141

Brunei Uni3

Politeknik Brunei

Ranking

Local: 4

World: 8838

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 1,160 877.12
Software Engineer 3,130 2,367
Developer/ Programmer 2,950 2,231
Data Scientist 5,290 4,000
UX Designer 2,780 2,102
Product Manager 4,420 3,342
Sales Representative 5,700 4,310
Brunei Talentsource

Talent Sourcing Tips

Top Local Job Boards

JobsBrunei.com, JobsCentre Brunei, JobRank

Number of LinkedIn users

112,200

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

Date Name Type
1 Jan New Year’s Day Public Holiday
7 Feb Isra and Mi’raj (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
10 Feb Lunar New Year Public Holiday
23 Feb National Day Public Holiday
24 Feb National Day observed Public Holiday
11 Mar Ramadan Start (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
27 Mar Nuzul Al-Qur’an (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
10 Apr Eid ul Fitr (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
11 Apr Eid Al Fitr Holiday (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
12 Apr Eid Al Fitr Holiday (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
13 Apr Eid Al Fitr Holiday observed (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
31 May Royal Brunei Armed Forces Day Public Holiday
1 Jun Royal Brunei Armed Forces Day observed Public Holiday
17 Jun Eid al-Adha (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
8 Jul Muharram/Islamic New Year (Tentative Date) Public Holiday
15 Jul Sultan’s Birthday Public Holiday
16 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 1

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.

Payroll 2

Minimum Wage

No minimum wage is followed in Brunei.

Payroll 3

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.

Brunei Visa
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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