Malaysia’s unemployment rate stays at 2.9% in September
Employment increased to 16.89 million, while labour force participation remained at 71%, according to official figures.
Malaysia recorded a September unemployment rate of 2.9%, unchanged as employment and the number of jobless people both increased, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia. Employment reached 16.89 million, compared with 16.87 million in August.
The unemployed population rose to 513,200 from 511,600 over the same period. The labour force totalled 17.40 million persons, up from 17.39 million persons in August, while the participation rate stayed at 71%.
Employees remained the largest workforce category, edging up to 12.65 million persons. Own-account workers increased to 3.17 million persons. This group includes people running farms or businesses, or trading full-time, without paid employees.
For youths aged between 15 and 24, the unemployment rate showed little movement at 10.1%, representing about 293,100 people.
The department also called for stronger support to redeploy workers affected by expanding use of artificial intelligence and automation, alongside efforts to encourage investment in technology that raises productivity. It said mechanisms for identifying sectors exposed to workforce displacement should be strengthened.
