Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Manpower and Minister of Home Affairs Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ahmaddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman on the fourth day of the Second Meeting of the 22nd Legislative Council (LegCo) Session emphasised that employment opportunities for local jobseekers remain available in the labour market, particularly in the convenience retail sector.

However, he noted that the key challenge lies in ensuring that local jobseekers are prepared and willing to seize these opportunities and take up positions traditionally occupied by foreign workers.

Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ahmaddin was responding to questions by LegCo members Yang Berhomat Dr Haji Mahali bin Haji Momin and Yang Berhormat Hajah Rosmawatty binti Haji Abdul Mumin on ensuring that convenience shops (kedai runcit) including those associated with the practice of ‘Ali Chandran’, are continuously monitored through coordination among the Registry of Companies and Business Names (ROCBN) and the strategic plan of the ministry to develop Kedai Kampung as a cooperative-based ecosystem with clear governance, training, financing, and key performance indicators (KPIs), and to expand the initiative nationwide by zones based on population size, to strengthen local entrepreneurship, empower community development, and reduce reliance on foreign nationals in convenience shops.

Based on the Employer and Employee Census as at April 1, 2026, he shared that there were 1,400 convenience shops in the country, including businesses involved in wholesale trade and motor vehicle repair, employing a total workforce of 16,031 people.

Of this total, 6,572 were local employees, while 9,459 were foreign workers.

In terms of ownership, Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ahmaddin said all 1,400 convenience shops were owned by local citizens.

However, 482 companies, specifically retail businesses, had joint ownership between local citizens and foreign nationals, which was also shared during the First and Second Meetings of the 21st LegCo Session in 2025.

He explained that efforts to strengthen local participation need to be viewed comprehensively, not only in terms of ownership, but also in terms of participation as business operators, suppliers, and employees.

As of June 30, 2026, he explained that 2,776 job vacancies had been advertised through JobCentre Brunei that were suitable for local jobseekers with ‘O’ Level qualifications and below. Of this total, 766 positions had been successfully filled by jobseekers within the same qualification category.

At present, he revealed that there are still 2,010 active vacancies being advertised, including 528 positions in the convenience shops sector, such as shop assistants and cashiers, which are also suitable for local jobseekers with ‘O’ Level qualifications and below.

However, within this qualification category, there are still 4,572 local jobseekers actively seeking employment. This indicates that the number of available job vacancies remains insufficient to meet the needs of local jobseekers, with a gap of 1,796 between the number of active jobseekers and the employment opportunities currently available.

Earlier, Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ahmaddin explained that fundamentally, Kedai Kampung serves as a platform to provide village community members with opportunities to engage in business, market local products, and strengthen decision-making and grassroots economic activities.

However, he highlighted that the success and expansion of this initiative depend on the commitment, willingness, management capabilities, and business viability of the local community, including the role of Mukim and Village Consultative Councils, rather than merely on the provision of premises. It is also in line with KPI 8 for Mukim Penghulu and Village Head, which measures the number of existing or new One Village One Product (1K1P) products that are ready to be expanded to generate economic activities within the village or mukim.

(news source: Borneo Bulletin ; pic source: Info Foto, Jbt Penerangan)