EEven though the oil and gas reserves are said to last for several more decades (many estimates point to sufficient reserves for another 30 years, although some reports suggest that the reserves could last up to 80 years), Brunei’s economy is in need for economic diversification. The hydrocarbon sector accounts for about two thirds of the economy in nominal terms and the non-oil primary fiscal deficit was close to 24% of GDP (2012), which shows the extreme dependence on the hydrocarbon sector. The government realizes the need to stimulate the non-energy sector and has developed several plans, which among others call for investment in R&D in hi-tech technology. At the moment, the non-energy sector indeed grows a bit faster than the energy sector (1.8% against 4.3% in 2012), but the size of the non-energy sector is far smaller. Moreover, the government also does not want to divert too much investment and attention away from the profitable oil sector. One of Brunei’s ministers, for example, called on students to choose engineering as major. In that same line, the Sultan has stressed the localization targets in his New Year’s Eve speech. With these targets, Brunei aims to create more jobs for locals in the energy sector, in order to reduce the dependence on government jobs and increase the stake of Bruneians in the sector. Currently, only 40% of the jobs in the sector is done by locals and expatriates account for the other 60%.