Employment
Labour law built around a heavily managed foreign workforce
The Employment Order 2009 sets minimum terms, but the operative constraint for most employers is the labour quota and licence system administered by the Labour Department, which controls how many foreign workers a business may employ and in what roles. There is no national minimum wage. Trade union activity is minimal in practice.
Governing law
- Employment Order, 2009 — Core employment standards.
- Labour Order, 2009 — Labour licensing and foreign worker administration.
In practice
The Employment Order 2009 governs contracts, hours, rest days and termination notice. Foreign workers require a Labour Licence and an Employment Pass tied to the specific employer. There is no statutory national minimum wage. The Workmen's Compensation Act provides for workplace injury compensation. The labour quota is the real hiring constraint; contract terms are the easier half of the problem. Local-hire requirements (Bruneianisation) apply to specified roles and sectors and are enforced through the licence conditions.