PUTRAJAYA, Feb 12 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Human Resources' (KESUMA) comprehensive approach to talent development, social protection and labour market reforms has directly contributed to a decline in the unemployment rate and a rise in the country’s labour force participation.
Citing Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) data, which reported the unemployment rate at 2.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2025, KESUMA said the achievement highlighted that its consistently implemented workforce policies and initiatives had delivered a measurable, inclusive and sustainable impact on the Malaysian labour market.
“More importantly, the female labour force participation rate reached a record high of 56.6 per cent, marking a significant increase in women’s involvement in the national economy.
“This achievement is in line with the implementation of KESUMA’s strategic initiatives through TalentCorp, which strengthen programmes supporting women’s participation, including return-to-work facilitation, talent mobility schemes and industry collaborations to provide a more inclusive and flexible work environment,” the ministry said in a statement today.
KESUMA said that in terms of job quality, time-related underemployment remained low at about 1.3 per cent, while skill-related underemployment fell to 35.3 per cent, reflecting improvements in skills and job matching.
The ministry said this reflected efforts to strengthen the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme, provide industry-focused training and initiatives to match workforce skills with industry requirements under the Department of Manpower and the Department of Skills Development.
In addition, the social protection network and workforce mobility have been enhanced through the introduction of the 24-Hour Lindung Scheme and the Lindung Kerjaya Scheme by the Social Security Organisation.
These efforts have been further strengthened with the enforcement of the RM1,700 Minimum Wage Order, benefiting 4.4 million workers, alongside the Progressive Wage Policy, which has raised the national median wage to nearly RM3,000.
In a statement yesterday, DOSM reported that the unemployment rate in the fourth quarter of 2025 dropped to 2.9 per cent, while female labour force participation reached a record high of 56.6 per cent.
-- BERNAMA
