Malaysia has zero unemployment rate, says minister

MALAYSIA can be said to have “zero unemployment” with 2.7% the country’s labour force jobless.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem said the International Labour Organisation had defined an unemployment rate of below 4% as “full employment” or zero unemployment.

“Seeing that Malaysia only recorded 2.7% as of the third quarter of this year, we can be considered to have zero unemployment,” he said in reply to Datuk Fauzi Abdul Rahman (PKR-Indera Mahkota) yesterday.

Riot said that last year, the unemployment rate was 3% while it was 3.1% in 2012.

On the number of unemployed graduates, Riot said there were a total of 53,282 recorded last year compared to 51,835 in 2012.

Meanwhile, Deputy Women, Family and Community Develop­ment Minister Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun said women participation in the labour market had increased from 46.8% in 2010 to 50.4% last year.

“The ministry has ensured that there will be cooperation between agencies to conduct programmes to recruit and retain women in the job market,” she said in reply to Datuk Norah Abd Rahman (BN-Tanjung Manis).

Earlier, Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia rejected an emergency motion to discuss the alleged abuse of electronics and electrical sector workers.

He said the emergency motion by Sim Tze Tzin (PKR-Bayan Baru) was not urgent.