Raise Status Wage In Trade Industry To Attract Locals
By Khairunnisa Ibrahim

Brunei-Muara - Several employers from the private sector welcomed the suggestion to raise the status and payscale of workers in the trades industry - such as carpenters, electricians and mechanics - to encourage more locals to take up these professions.

This is to be done by restricting the entry of general workers from abroad, who are then trained in various trades, by requiring they possess the relevant certification and training in order to be employed.

In a dialogue session between academics and employers held recently, the issue of trade skills being undervalued here was highlighted.

An issue in Brunei Darussalam, noted one of the academics, is that not many locals get into the trades and become electricians, plumbers, carpenters and the like.

"In Western economies, these people are in fact the ones who drive the economy," he pointed out. "They get paid very well and are quite well respected people. They are skilled, and they run their own businesses."

The shortage of local tradesmen is due in a large part to the availability of foreign workers at relatively cheap prices to do an assortment of jobs.

Imposing regulations that necessitate workers to have certificates and training before being allowed entry will act as an incentive for locals in the vocational system to go for such jobs:

"While it will increase costs to (businessmen), doing so will restrict foreigners from taking these jobs and make the status and the pay goes up. When these go up, it becomes more attractive for locals to move into this area," said the lecturer.

One businessperson agreed that such a move can boost local participation in the trades industry, and related the experience of Singapore, where tradesmen have to be certified before being commissioned to perform a task.

Many enterprising vocational school leavers in Singapore have even set up their own companies and are self employed, earning more than if they work for someone else.

"It's a win-win situation for the government and the private sector," added another employer, who noted that skilled and certified tradesmen can guarantee good service for employers and customers alike.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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