James Kon
A quality workforce and a pool of talent with a growth mentality is critical to the nation, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economic II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah said.
He was speaking as Manpower Planning and Employment Council (MPEC) chairman at the official launch of the private sector Salary Guideline and MPEC official website at the Banquet Hall, Prime Minister’s office building yesterday.
The launch was to support the private sector in creating competitive and attractive salary packages that enable employees to gain meaningful and long-term employment as well as progress within their profession.
The minister said that it is human assets that differentiate an organisation from its competitors and that it is only natural for employees to be provided with fair compensation, labour market security, as well as a decent working environment to further stimulate their performance. He also underlined the importance of manpower, especially those who helped businesses to remain open during times of crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Generally, employees are rewarded inadequately in comparison to the work they perform enabling businesses and organisations to function,” he said.
The minister also urged private sector employers to utilise the salary guideline in exercising best practices in developing competitive salary packages to attract and retain potential employees.
It is also hoped that the guideline containing the recommended salary scale based on the identified job positions at the starting point of each career can be used as a reference for employees.
The minister also called for the Chambers of Commerce to encourage members to use the salary guideline as it can provide value to both employers and employees to promote the nation’s growth and productivity.
The event also witnessed the launching of the MPEC official website which aims to provide the public with easy access to information on MPEC initiatives and programmes including the newly launched Salary Guideline, i-Ready Apprenticeship programme, upskilling and reskilling programmes; employment services through the JobCentre Brunei Portal; as well as labour market statistics and trends.
It will also act as a platform for MPEC to conduct research, surveys and obtain feedback from the public on matters related to manpower and human resources.
Members of the MPEC Council, MPEC Working Group and representatives from the private sector were also present.
There are 22 job families identified in the guideline and developed based on the industry’s demand with high local retention interest.
The development of the Salary Guideline by MPEC is a significant first step towards ensuring local jobseekers and employees receive salaries that are suitable to their skills and productivity at each level of the career ladder.
The initiative is in line with the goals and outcomes stipulated under Brunei Vision 2035, which aims to achieve a highly productive and sustainable economy through the creation of quality employment.
