Overview

LABOUR FORCE IN MALAYSIA

The lowest unemployment rate (3.2%) since first quarter of 2016

Labour force and employed persons in Malaysia recorded a growth of 2.1 per cent and 2.2 per cent as compared to the fourth quarter of 2018 to 15.77 million persons and 15.25 million persons respectively.

Quarter-on-quarter comparison showed that both labour force and employed persons increased 0.6 per cent respectively as compared to the previous quarter. Labour force participation rate (LFPR) in this quarter rose 0.2 percentage points to 69.1 per cent as compared to the third quarter of 2019. Meanwhile, the working age population who outside the labour force was 30.9 per cent.

The unemployment rate decreased to 3.2 per cent as compared to 3.3 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2018 and the lowest recorded since the first quarter of 2016. The total number of unemployed persons recorded at 512.2 thousand persons, decreased 0.8 per cent as compared to the same quarter in the previous year. (Exhibit 2)

Female LFPR increased 0.1 percentage points to 56.1 per cent

Female LFPR in the fourth quarter of 2019 was 56.1 per cent at the national level, rose 0.1 percentage points as compared to the previous quarter. The highest female LFPR in the labour market were the age group of  25-34 years (75.6%) followed by 35-44 years (67.1%) and 45-54 years (58.7%).

Male LFPR increased by 0.2 percentage points to 81.1 per cent as compared to the previous quarter. The age group that recorded the highest male LFPR were 35-44 years (97.9%) followed by 25-34 years (96.8%) and 45-54 years (94.8%). (Exhibit 3)

Female represented 39.2 per cent of the labour force

In the fourth quarter of 2019, the labour force comprised of 60.8 per cent male (9.59 million) and 39.2 per cent female (6.18 million). The number of labour force for both male and female increased by 60,073 persons and 32,369 persons respectively as compared to the third quarter of 2019.

The detailed information and technical notes are published in the Labour Force Survey Report, Malaysia, Second Quarter 2019. This report is accessible and downloadable free of charge through the eStatistik application in DOSM web page, www.dosm.gov.my.

Released By:

DATO' SRI DR. MOHD UZIR MAHIDIN
CHIEF STATISTICIAN MALAYSIA
DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS, MALAYSIA
7 February 2020

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