PUTRAJAYA: The 2024 Third Quarter Labour Force Statistics report shows that labour demand during this period hit its highest level since 2018, with 9.01 million job openings.
Statistics Department Malaysia chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr. Mohd Uzir Mahidin, said that this marks a steady 1.2% year-on-year increase in job vacancies.
"This is in line with the gradual decline in the unemployment rate to 3.2%, as shown in the same report. The statistics published in this report are based on the Labour Force Survey conducted on registered businesses in the private sector," he said in a statement on Thursday (Nov 14).
The report also shows a 1.2% increase in filled positions, reaching 8.82 million jobs, compared to 8.71 million in the same period last year.
Mohd Uzir said the consistent upward trend in the number of filled positions reflects ongoing growth in the current economy.
"This stability is further reflected in the positive year-on-year growth in filled positions across all economic sectors," he noted.
Breaking it down by sector, he pointed out that agriculture experienced the highest growth at 1.8%, followed by the services and manufacturing sectors at 1.6% and 1.0%, respectively.
The services sector led with 4.65 million positions, followed by manufacturing with 2.38 million, and construction with 1.24 million.
Regarding job vacancies, Mohd Uzir reported 191,800 vacancies in this quarter, marking a 0.4% rise compared to 190,900 vacancies in the same quarter last year.
The report also showed Malaysia recorded 31,800 new positions to meet growing demand across various sectors, slightly down from 32,000 vacancies in 2023.
He added that the working population increased by 2.9%, with the services sector seeing a 1.7% year-on-year growth in workers, reflecting the positive momentum driven by economic activity. - Bernama
