Malaysia’s unemployment rate stood at 3.2% in September 2024, down 0.2% year-on-year, according to the latest data from Statistics Malaysia.

When compared to August 2024, the unemployment rate saw no change.

During the month, the number of unemployed persons continued to decline month-on-month, with a decrease of 0.6% to 555,300 persons (August 2024: 558,500 persons). Over the year, the number of unemployed persons was down 3.2%.

The number of employed persons further increased in September 2024 with a rise of 0.2% (+27,600 persons) to 16.69 million persons (August 2024: 16.66 million persons). Year-on-year, the number of employed persons increased by 1.9%.

During the month, the employment-to-population ratio, which indicates the ability of an economy to create employment, rose by 0.1% month-on-month to 68.2% (August 2024: 68.1%).

In September 2024, the size of the labour force was on an upward trend, with an addition of 0.1% (+24,400 persons) to 17.24 million persons (August 2024: 17.22 million persons). Accordingly, a higher labour force participation rate (LFPR) was recorded during the month at 70.5% compared to 70.4% last month and 70.1% the year prior.