THE unemployment rate in Malaysia remained at 3.7% in August, unchanged from July, according to the Statistics Department (DOSM). 

The department in a statement today however said the number of unemployed recorded a drop of 1.4% to 612,000 people in August compared with 620,700 people in the previous month. 

On the labour force, the department said it recorded 16.63 million employed in August compared with 16.6 million in the previous month, while for the working population, it was 16.02 million people in August this year from 15.98 million people in July.

The largest composition of the working population is the employee category, at 76%, followed by the self-employed (17.5%), employers (3.4%) and unpaid family workers (3.1%), it said. 

The number of active unemployed people recorded in August decreased by 2%, which was 507,300 people, compared with 517,400 people in the previous month. 

For the outside labour force, it recorded a decrease of 0.1% to 7.24 million people in August compared with 7.25 million in July, with the largest composition being housework or family responsibilities at 42.9%. 

Outside labour force refers to people who are not classified as working or unemployed, including housewives, students, retirees, and those who are not interested in looking for jobs, while the actively unemployed are those who are willing to work and are actively looking for jobs. – Bernama, October 11, 2022.