ABOUT 588,700 people are unemployed nationwide as the unemployment rate in the country hit 3.5%, Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar said.

He said Sabah has the highest number of unemployed people at 169,800, or 29% of the total.

“The unemployment rate in Sabah reached 7.7% in the first quarter of this year and this rate is also more than double the 3.5% for the whole country.

“However, the percentage of unemployment in Sabah showed a decrease against 9.1% in the first quarter of last year following economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.

He was speaking at the opening of the Sabah State Labour Convention in conjunction with the Human Resources Ministry’s Customer Meeting Day programme at the Kota Kinabalu International Convention Centre today.

Sivakumar said the labour issue in Sabah also differs from other states because workers who are not under the Labour Ordinance are estimated to exceed 800,000 people. They comprise holders of IMM13 card, census certificate and Burung-Burung card as well as Bajau Laut (Pala’u) and illegal immigrants. 

“At the same time, more than 90% of employers from small and medium enterprises have an impact on compliance with labour-related policies and legislation,” he said. – Bernama, August 21, 2023.