The number of employed individuals in Malaysia increased by 0.2% in June 2024, reaching 16.61 million, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). This marks a slight rise from the 16.58 million employed in May.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remained steady at 3.3% as the number of unemployed persons decreased by 0.1% from 566,100 in May to 565,300 in June.
Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin, chief statistician, noted that the labour force continued to grow positively, with a 0.1% rise in the number of employed persons and a corresponding decrease in the number of unemployed individuals. The total labour force reached 17.17 million in June, reflecting a higher labour force participation rate of 70.4%.
All major economic sectors, including services, manufacturing, construction, agriculture, mining, and quarrying, saw increases in employment. The services sector saw the largest growth, with employees comprising 75% of the total employed persons, amounting to 12.46 million individuals—a 0.1% increase from the previous month. Own-account workers also saw a 0.3% rise, reaching 3.06 million.
Among the unemployed, 79.9% were actively seeking work. The number of individuals outside the labour force fell slightly by 0.02% to 7.23 million, primarily due to housework/family responsibilities (42.8%) and schooling/training (41.4%).
For the second quarter of 2024, employment increased by 1.2% to 16.59 million, while unemployment decreased by 0.6% to 557,800, maintaining an unemployment rate of 3.3%. The overall performance of the labour force remains positive, indicating a continued economic expansion.
