MALAYSIA’S unemployment rate declined to only 3.9% in April from 4.1% the previous month, according to a report released by the Statistics Department today.

Chief Statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said labour force condition strengthened 0.4% month-on-month to 16.50 million persons in April compared with 16.44 million persons in March.

“The labour force participation rate edged up by 0.2 percentage points to 69.4% in April from 69.2% in March, indicating more labour participation in the market.”

Employed persons increased 0.5% month-on-month to a record 15.85 million persons in April against the 15.77 million persons in March, he added.

On employment, Uzir said the employee category, which makes up the largest composition of employed persons at 76.3%, improved by 0.3% month-on-month to 12.09 million persons in April from 12.06 million persons in March.

Own-account workers increased by 1.2% to 2.72 million persons in April from 2.69 million persons in March, he added.

“This is partly due to more business activities in conjunction with the celebration of Ramadan and preparation for Hari Raya Aidilfitri, parallel with the reopening of international borders.”

On the economic sector, Uzir said the number of employed persons in the services sector sustained the positive trend, particularly in wholesale and retail, food and beverage services, as well as human health and social work activities. – Bernama, June 9, 2022.