THE number of unemployed people was lower in April by 0.3% to 586,900, compared with 588,700 last month, said the Statistics Department. 

In the Statistics of the Labour Force, Malaysia, April 2023 report, it said the unemployment rate in April 2023 was at 3.5%, unchanged from March 2023.

It said the size of the labour force in April was 0.2% higher, adding up to 16.84 million people, compared with 16.81 million in March.

“The labour force participation rate edged up 0.1 percentage point to 70% (69.9% in March 2023), indicating higher participation in the market,” it said.

The department said a month-on-month comparison showed the number of employed people in April 2023 inched up 0.2% to 16.25 million versus 16.22 million in March.

It said the unemployment rate for youth aged between 15 and 24 month-to-month slid 0.1 percentage point to 11.1%, putting the number of unemployed youth at 315,600 versus 11.2% in March with 317,300.

The department said the number of people outside the labour force in April was marginally lower by 0.03 per cent to 7.23 million people, compared with 7.23 million in March.

The department said the labour market is expected to grow modestly in the coming months as the Malaysian economy is projected to flourish moderately.

“Malaysia’s economy is expected to maintain its positive growth in 2023 albeit at a slower pace than in 2022.

“This is supported by factors such as sustained domestic demand, improved labour market conditions, more stable inflation trends, and the recovery of tourist arrivals, whereby encouraging tourism activity is expected to positively impact the growth of the tourism sector and related industries,” it said. – Bernama, June 9, 2023.