Dept: Unemployment rate holds steady at 3% in July

Job-hunting: People looking for opportunities at a job fair in Selangor. Those available for work and actively looking for a job made up 79.3% of the jobless, with their number rising 0.4% to 412,600. — KK SHAM/The Star

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s unemployment rate held steady at 3% in July, unchanged from June, with 520,300 people out of work, according to the latest Statistics Department figures.

The labour force grew 0.1% month-on-month to 17.37 million from 17.34 million in June, while the labour force participation rate stayed at 70.9%, the department said in a statement yesterday.