LABIS: The country’s unemployment rate dropped to 2.9 per cent in 2025 compared with 3.2 per cent in 2024.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamid said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim shared the figures during the Cabinet meeting in Putrajaya on Wednesday (July 1).
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Rural and Regional Development Minister, said the positive development was driven, among others, by the government’s continued emphasis on developing skilled talent through Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
"There used to be unemployment; now there are job opportunities, many of them in technical fields, with training provided by TVET institutions.
"This shows that our efforts to develop a skilled technical workforce have borne fruit,” he said when officiating the Johor state-level Community Development Department (Kemas) Skills Day here on Thursday (July 2), which was also attended by Kemas director-general Datuk Mohd Hanafiah Man.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the National TVET Council chairman, said the employability rate among graduates of TVET institutions under Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) stood at an excellent 99.5 per cent.
"Apart from TVET institutions, Kemas has also produced many skilled workers through courses in sewing, cooking, hairdressing, makeup and computer skills,” he said.
He also urged TVET graduates to venture into entrepreneurship.
"These statistics and success are the result of our commitment, through the ministry, relevant departments, agencies and agency subsidiaries, to sincerely and diligently plan for the well-being of the people,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid called on Kemas to prepare a briefing paper on the department’s achievements to be presented to the Cabinet.- Bernama
