Govt statistics show Malaysia’s labour force recovering, with unemployment rate for April dropping to 4.6pc
KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — The unemployment rate in Malaysia for April 2021 has dropped to 4.6 per cent which was the lowest rate since October 2020, the Department of Statistics Malaysia reported today on Statistics of Labour Force, Malaysia, April 2021.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the number of unemployed persons was reduced by 0.1 percentage point or 10,500 persons month-on-month to register 742,700 persons compared to 753,200 recorded in March. “Malaysia’s labour force continued to be on a recovery path in April 2021 as recovery movement control order in most states and conditional MCO gave more opportunities for businesses to continue their activities in full capacity while adhering to strict standard operating procedures. “Better business outlook was also reflected by the performance of Leading Index for March 2021 which posted an increase of 1.8 per cent month-on-month . “Hence, the number of the labour force in April 2021 recorded a month-on-month increase of 0.1 per cent or an addition of 12,200 persons to record 16.09 million persons . The labour force participation rate for the month stood at 68.6 per cent,” he said in a statement today. Mohd Uzir said the actively unemployed, which is defined as those who were available for work and actively seeking job encompassing more than 80 per cent of the total unemployed persons, had decreased by 8,200 persons to record 618,700 persons .“Observing the inactivity group, the number of the outside labour force during the month posted an increase of 13,100 persons to 7.38 million persons and was dominated by schooling/ training categories with 43.5 per cent and followed by housework/ family responsibilities with 42.1 per cent ,” he said. The number of employed persons remained in an increasing trend with a month-on-month gain of 22,700 persons to post 15.35 million persons, while the employment-to-population ratio which indicates the ability of an economy to create employment remained unchanged at 65.4 per cent in April 2021. Services registered an upward trend in the number of employed persons during the month largely in wholesale and retail trade; food and beverages services; education; and human health and social work activities. “Similar trends were also observed in manufacturing and construction sectors while both agriculture and mining and quarrying sectors continued to record a negative month-on-month momentum,” he said. Mohd Uzir said own-account workers registered an addition of 12,300 persons to record 2.49 million persons in April following the continuous operations of small businesses during the month. In addition, the number of employed persons who were temporarily not working remained on a declining trend with a reduction of 5,000 persons to record 116,000 persons. May 2021 has witnessed the public health crisis situation in Malaysia getting more challenging with a rise in the number of daily Covid-19 infection cases, hence resulting in the implementation of the total lockdown nationwide from June 1 to 14 with the closure of all economic and social sectors except for essential economic and service sectors. “Labour market condition is foreseen to face another challenging situation in the upcoming months but the provision of various assistances by the government may cushion the impact and subsequently restore the labour market condition,” he added. — Bernama
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