Employment scene still challenging

Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin (pic) said the labour market remained in a challenging situation following the rising number of Covid-19 cases which saw the imposition of travel curbs from Jan 13 to Feb 4.

KUALA LUMPUR: The unemployment rate in January rose to 4.9% from 4.8% in December due to the impact of Covid-19 on tourism-related industries and a decline in the agriculture sector, despite gains by the manufacturing and services sectors.

The Statistics Department said the unemployment rate in January rose by 9,700 people to 782,500 from the 772,900 in December.