PUTRAJAYA: The number of jobs in the first quarter (Q1) of this year increased by 1.5 per cent to 8.94 million, the highest recorded since 2018, according to the Employment Statistics, First Quarter 2024 released today.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin, in a statement, said 8.81 million jobs were recorded in Q1 2023.
He said the growth in the number of jobs indicated that the labour demand in Malaysia may continue to be favourable in 2024, as Malaysia’s economy is predicted to expand at a quicker rate of four to five per cent subsequent to the external demand and greater investment.
Regarding the job situation by economic activity, he said the number of filled jobs was on an upward trend, with a year-on-year performance rose by 1.5 per cent from 8.61 million in Q1 2023 to 8.75 million in Q1 2024.
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“The number of job vacancies during this quarter continued to be on a downward trend, with a marginal decrease of 0.4 per cent to record 191,900 vacancies (Q1 2023: 192,600).
Mohd Uzir said the number of filled jobs remained stable in line with the development of the current economic situation, with the agriculture sector registering the highest growth at 4.0 per cent, followed by services (1.8 per cent) and manufacturing (1.1 per cent).
Based on the breakdown of filled jobs by economic sector, the services sector constitutes the largest composition with 52.7 per cent or equivalent to 4.61 million, followed by manufacturing (26.9 per cent; 2.35 million) and construction (14.2 per cent; 1.24 million).
“Out of the total number of filled jobs, the semi-skilled category led the chart with 5.48 million jobs (62.7 per cent), followed by skilled with 2.19 million (25.1 per cent) and low-skilled with 1.07 million (12.2 per cent),” he said.
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Meanwhile, Mohd Uzir said 32,100 jobs were created in Q1 2024 compared to 31,700 in Q1 2023.
He said the semi-skilled category made up the biggest share at 61.9 per cent with 19,900 jobs, followed by skilled and low-skilled at 27.6 per cent (8,900 jobs) and 10.5 per cent (3,400 jobs), respectively.
