11th June 2025 - 2 min read
Malaysia’s unemployment rate drops from 3.1% in March to 3.0% in April, the lowest level recorded in ten years, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). This latest figure translates to 525,900 unemployed persons, down from 529,600 the previous month.
Chief Statistician Dato’ Sri Dr. Mohd Uzir Mahidin credited Malaysia’s encouraging economic momentum for the continued improvement in labour market conditions. In April, the labour force grew by 0.2% to 17.34 million persons, while the labour force participation rate edged up to 70.8%, indicating increased engagement in the job market.
Employment saw parallel growth, with the number of employed persons rising by 0.2% to 16.82 million. Within this group, employees made up the majority, accounting for 75.1%, or 12.63 million people. There was also a notable increase in own-account workers, who totalled 3.16 million, reflecting a 0.6% rise from March.
The services sector led job gains, especially in wholesale and retail trade, accommodation and food services, and transport and storage. Employment also improved across the manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and mining and quarrying sectors, pointing to a broad-based recovery.
Unemployment remained largely short-term in nature. Among the 79.6% who were actively unemployed, the majority, or 64.2%, had been jobless for less than three months. The number of inactively unemployed, comprising individuals who believed that no jobs were available, declined by 1.5% to 107,200 persons.
Youth unemployment presented a mixed picture. The rate for those aged 15 to 24 remained steady at 10.3%, while the rate for those aged 15 to 30 eased slightly to 6.2%, with the number of unemployed youths decreasing to 400,600 from 399,400 in March.
Those outside the labour force increased marginally to 7.17 million, driven largely by housework and family responsibilities (43.7%) and education or training (41.1%). Despite this, the overall labour outlook remains positive. Uzir projected continued strength in the labour market, underpinned by sound economic policy, resilience in key sectors, and rising investment in digital and automation technologies.
With steady gains in employment, rising labour participation, and the lowest unemployment rate in a decade, DOSM reported that the country’s labour force is anticipated to expand in the coming months, supported by strong economic policies and stable domestic demand.
(Source: DOSM)
Samuel writes about personal finance and financial news, focusing on how banking updates, policies, and promotions affect everyday money decisions. He enjoys making complicated financial topics easier to follow. Outside of writing, he spends his time watching TV shows and occasionally convincing himself he will only watch one episode.
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