68 per cent of Malaysian diaspora in Brunei are skilled workers

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin of Malaysian Department of Statistics (DOSM) said 68 per cent of Malaysian diaspora working in Brunei Darussalam are skilled workers while 24.1 per cent are semi-skilled, according to Malaysian media.

He added that in Singapore, 39 per cent are skilled workers and 35 per cent are semi-skilled workers.

The statistician said the findings were obtained through the ‘Malaysian Diaspora’ study in Brunei last year and the ‘Social Security Protection for Malaysian Citizens Working Abroad: Singapore’ study in 2022 in collaboration with the Social Security Organisation (Socso).

“For monthly gross salary, it was found that 66.7 per cent of respondents working in Singapore receive salaries ranging from SGD1,500 (RM5,330) to SGD3,599 and 18.5 per cent get salaries between SGD3,600 and SGD9,999.

“Meanwhile, for those working in Brunei, 41.3 per cent of the respondents receive monthly gross salaries between BND1,000 and BND3,000, and 43.5 per cent receive between BND3,001 and BND10,000,” he said at the launch ceremony of the book on the reports of the Study of Compensation for Child and Youth Actors in Films and Dramas in Peninsular Malaysia and the Study of the Malaysian Diaspora in Brunei Darussalam.

He said the highest monthly gross salary recorded in Singapore and in Brunei are SGD18,000 and BND15,000.

According to Mohd Uzir, Malaysians choose to work in the two countries because of job opportunities and suitable working environments, higher salaries and the high exchange rates of Singapore and Brunei dollars.

In terms of demographics, he said the 2022 findings noted that 38 per cent of the Malaysian diaspora in Singapore are part of the workforce, while 62 per cent are in the country for conducting business, undergoing training and research, education, or marriage.

He said the 2023 findings showed that 50 per cent of the Malaysian diaspora in Brunei are workers, while the remainder is in the country due to marriage with Bruneians or family matters.

“However, there is one significant finding involving the similarity of Malaysians in Singapore and Brunei – they are there to conduct business,” he added. - Borneo Bulletin/ANN