PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s unemployment rate dropped from 3.1% in March to 3% in April, the lowest in 10 years, according to the Statistics of the Labour Force Malaysia for April 2025 released by the Statistics Department.
Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the number of unemployed persons decreased by 0.7 percentage points to 525,900 persons in April this year, compared to 529,600 persons in March.
“The country’s promising economic position has contributed to stable progress in labour force during the April, with an increase in the number of employed persons and higher labour force participation rates, while unemployment continues to decrease,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He said the labour force continued its upward trend in April, increasing by 0.2 percentage points to 17.34 million persons compared to 17.31 million persons in March.
“Consequently, the labour force participation rate rose by 0.1 percentage points to 70.8% compared to 70.7% in March, indicating more labour participation,” he said, Bernama reported.
In terms of the economic sector, Mohd Uzir said the services sector remained a key driver of employment growth, particularly in wholesale and retail trade, accommodation, food and beverage services, as well as transportation and storage activities.
He added that positive trends were also recorded across the manufacturing, construction, agriculture, as well as mining and quarrying sectors.
Mohd Uzir said the unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 24 was unchanged at 10.3% in April, with 298,300 unemployed youths.
He said the number of persons outside the labour force rose by 0.2 percentage points to 7.17 million persons in April compared to 7.16 million persons in the preceding month, mainly due to housework and family responsibilities accounting for 43.7%, followed by schooling and training at 41.1%.
Mohd Uzir said the country’s labour force is anticipated to remain optimistic and expand in the coming months, bolstered by strong economic policies and stable domestic demand.
“Despite the global geopolitical tensions, Malaysia’s labour force is seen to remain resilient due to stable unemployment, the growing services sector and technology, as well as an increasing investment in digitalisation and automation,” he added.
