PUTRAJAYA: Putrajaya recorded the lowest unemployment rate at 1.3% in the third quarter of 2026, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
This was followed by Melaka and Selangor at 2% each and Pahang at 2.1%.
DOSM's Labour Force Statistics statement for September and the Third Quarter (Q3) of 2026, published on Wednesday (Nov 11), said the national unemployment rate held steady at 3% for the quarter, unchanged from the previous quarter.
The number of unemployed persons, however, rose 0.8% to 513,700 from 509,700.
The department said the labour market continued to show positive development, with the labour force rising 0.3% to 17.33 million from 17.28 million in the second quarter of 2026.
"The overall labour force participation rate rose to 71%, while the male participation rate increased to 83.4% from 83.3% previously. The female participation rate remained unchanged at 57%.
"The number of employed persons rose 0.3% to 16.82 million from 16.77 million in the second quarter, with employees accounting for 76.1% of total employed persons," the statement read.
The statement added that the employee category rose 0.2% to 12.81 million, while the number of own-account workers increased 0.5% to 2.96 million from 2.94 million in the previous quarter.
It also reported that of the total unemployed in the third quarter, 79.7%, or 409,300 people, were actively unemployed, ready to work and actively seeking jobs, while the remaining 20.3% were inactively unemployed.
By duration of unemployment, 67.3% of the actively unemployed had been jobless for less than three months, while 3.1% were long-term unemployed, having been out of work for more than a year.
Meanwhile, for September 2026, DOSM reported that the national unemployment rate remained low at 2.9%, unchanged from the previous month, with the number of unemployed persons rising slightly to 513,200 from 511,600 in August.
"Over the same period, the number of employed persons rose 0.1% to 16.89 million from 16.87 million the previous month, as the labour market continued to show stable growth on the back of positive economic prospects," DOSM said.
DOSM said efforts to strengthen the labour market must continue in tandem with technological developments and economic transformation.
These include expanding AI and automation training, helping to redeploy workers affected by technological change, and strengthening early monitoring of at-risk sectors to ensure the local workforce remains skilled, productive and competitive. — Bernama
