PUTRAJAYA, March 11 (Bernama) -- The country's labour market remains stable, recording an unemployment rate of 2.9 per cent, according to the Statistics of the Labour Force, Malaysia, January 2026, released by the Department of Statistics (DOSM) today.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the country’s labour market in January 2026 sustained its expansion in line with the favourable economic growth, with steady employment growth and a persistently low unemployment rate.
“Therefore, the labour force continued its positive momentum during the month, rising by 0.1 per cent month-on-month to 17.28 million persons (December 2025: 17.27 million persons).
“Accordingly, the labour force participation rate edged up by 0.1 percentage point to 70.9 per cent (December 2025: 70.8 per cent), indicating more labour participation in the market,” he said in a statement today.
Mohd Uzir said the number of employed persons continued to increase during the month, with a marginal increase of 0.04 per cent to 16.77 million persons from 16.76 million persons in December 2025.
At the same time, the number of unemployed recorded a slight uptick of 0.3 per cent, reaching 509.6 thousand persons (December 2025: 508.0 thousand persons).
“January’s unemployment rate remained at 2.9 per cent, as in the prior month,” he said.
Mohd Uzir said Malaysia's labour market in the coming months is anticipated to remain favourable, with the unemployment rate remaining low, reflecting a strong labour force condition.
“Labour force participation is also foreseen to remain stable following a balanced recovery in the Services, tourism and technology export sectors.
“Employment opportunities are also seen to increase in the high-tech and services subsectors, driven by automation, AI, digital and foreign investment.
“Despite global uncertainty, strong domestic economic fundamentals and stable labour demand and supply are expected to continue to support the growth of the country's labour market,” he added.
-- BERNAMA
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