In September, Malaysia's employed population witnessed a growth of 0.2%, equating to an additional 27,600 jobs, bringing the total to 16.7 million, while the jobless rate remained steady at 3.2%, as reported by government data on Friday. The employment-to-population ratio, an essential indicator of the economy's capacity to generate jobs, increased by 0.1 points to reach 68.2%.
Leading the job gains was the services sector, particularly influenced by growth in food and beverage, wholesale and retail trade, alongside information and communication. Noteworthy growth was also observed in manufacturing, construction, mining, and agriculture sectors. Employee positions, which account for 75.1% of total employment, experienced a minor rise of 0.1%, climbing to 12.5 million.
In addition, self-employed roles rose by 0.3%, totaling 3.1 million. A slight easing in unemployment rates was recorded, with a decrease of 0.6% in the number of unemployed persons, now at 555,300. The labor force also expanded, increasing by 24,400 to reach 17.2 million, consequently raising the labor force participation rate to 70.5% from the previous month's 70.4%.
Furthermore, the population outside the labor force decreased marginally by 0.01%, primarily reflecting individuals citing housework or education as reasons for not pursuing employment..