A total of 68,177 workers have lost their jobs between January and Sept 16 this year, marking an increase of 15,196 compared with the same period last year.
Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said workers in the manufacturing, wholesale and retail sectors were among those most affected by the job losses.
Despite the increase, he said Malaysia’s labour market remained resilient overall, with both the labour force and number of employed people continuing to grow as of July.
“As of July, the labour force had increased to 17.37 million, while the number of employed people reached 16.85 million, with the labour force participation rate remaining at 70.9 per cent,” he said during the Global Supply Crisis Briefing here today.
Akmal said the unemployment rate remained at three per cent, unchanged from the previous month, involving about 520,300 unemployed people.
He said the figures showed that the labour market remained stable overall, although certain sectors continued to come under pressure.
The government, he added, remained vigilant over developments in the labour market, particularly the rise in job losses affecting specific sectors.
Akmal said the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso) had also introduced job placement initiatives through the Employment Insurance System (EIS) and MYFutureJobs portal to help affected workers find new employment.
From January to Sept 11, a total of 143,653 workers had secured new jobs through the initiatives, he said.
“The development shows that government intervention is not merely about providing temporary support to affected workers, but also helping them secure new employment and return to work.
“It also reflects that although the labour market remains stable overall, continued attention is needed to address job losses occurring in certain sectors,” he said.
