BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Down somewhat from 9.3 percent in 2017, the latest labor force survey in Brunei showed that the unemployment rate hit 8.7 percent in 2018, which was still the highest unemployment rate in Southeast Asia, the Asia Development Bank (ADB) said.
According to local daily the Borneo Bulletin on Thursday, ADB in its latest Asian Development Outlook 2020 annual report said that Brunei's unemployment rate among youth aged 15-24 increased from 28.8 percent in 2017 to 29.9 percent in 2018.
By educational attainment, 40 percent of the unemployed have tertiary education, or technical and vocational education and technical training, which indicates a mismatch between the skills and qualifications possessed by the local labor force and those demanded in the labor market.
The report added that in recognizing this, the Brunei government recently initiated several programs including the i-Ready Apprenticeship Program to develop better vocational training and education and Manpower and Industry Steering Committee to strengthen collaboration and engagement with industries. Enditem
