KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's labour demand rose 1.6% year-on-year to 9.31 million jobs in the third quarter of 2026 (3Q26), an increase of 144,900 jobs from a year earlier.
According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), 97.9% of total jobs were filled, while the remaining 2.1% were vacant.
The number of filled jobs increased 1.6% to 9.11 million from 8.97 million in the corresponding quarter last year.
The services sector accounted for the largest share of filled jobs at 53.3%, or 4.86 million, followed by manufacturing at 26.8%, or 2.45 million, and construction at 13.7%, or 1.25 million.
By skill category, semi-skilled workers accounted for 62.1% of filled jobs, followed by skilled workers at 25.4% and low-skilled workers at 12.5%.
Meanwhile, job vacancies edged down 0.2% year-on-year to 196,700 from 197,100 in 3Q25.
The manufacturing sector accounted for the largest share of vacancies at 59%, or 116,100, with 35,500 vacancies in the electrical, electronic and optical products subsector.
Agriculture recorded 30,700 vacancies, followed by construction with 26,200.
Semi-skilled positions made up 55.4% of total vacancies, while skilled and low-skilled positions accounted for 25.2% and 19.4%, respectively.
DOSM said 31,300 new jobs were created during the quarter, down 3.2% from a year earlier.
The services sector contributed the largest share of new jobs at 44.7%, or 14,000, mainly in wholesale and retail trade.
Manufacturing accounted for 12,500 new jobs, followed by construction with 2,900.
Of the total jobs created, 66.6% were semi-skilled positions, 25.3% were skilled and 8.1% were low-skilled.
Overall, DOSM said Malaysia’s labour demand continued to register positive growth in 3Q26, supported by continued growth in filled jobs and sustained demand across economic sectors.
The increase was in line with a 1.2% year-on-year rise in employed persons reported in the Labour Force Statistics for the same quarter.
