Malaysia’s unemployment rate remained at 3% in October 2025, with 518,900 unemployed, as the labour force grew to 17.58 million persons
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.0% in October 2025, according to the latest Labour Force Survey.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) reported that 518,900 people were unemployed during the month.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the labour market showed further improvement driven by robust economic activity.
“The labour force continued its upward momentum during the month, rising by 0.2% month-on-month to 17.58 million persons,” he said in a statement.
October’s labour force participation rate stood at 70.9%, unchanged from September.
The total number of employed persons increased by 0.2% to 17.06 million.
The number of unemployed persons rose marginally by 0.1% to 518,900.
Employees constituted 74.8% of total employed persons, increasing slightly by 0.1% to 12.76 million.
The number of own-account workers went up by 0.4% to 3.25 million persons.
Mohd Uzir noted a continued decrease in persons working less than 30 hours per week.
This group dropped by 1.4% to 233,200 persons in October.
Time-related underemployment also declined by 1.7% to 126,400 persons.
The time-related underemployment rate stood at 0.7% for the month.
He concluded that the labour market outlook remains positive and resilient.
This is supported by moderate economic growth, strategic investments, and human capital development. – Bernama
