Malaysia’s unemployment rate inched up to 3.0% in April 2026, after remaining unchanged at 2.9% for the previous five months. The number of unemployed persons rose by 0.6% from the preceding month to 511.8 thousand.
At the same time, overall employment continued to grow modestly, increasing by 0.1% to 16.82 million. This reflected gains among both employees, whose numbers rose to 12.61 million (+0.05%), and own-account workers, who increased to 3.15 million (+0.2%).
Employment growth was driven mainly by the services sector, particularly wholesale and retail trade, accommodation and food and beverage services, and information and communication. The manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and mining sectors also registered employment increases.
The labour force expanded slightly by 0.1% to 17.33 million, leaving the labour force participation rate unchanged at 70.9%. The number of persons outside the labour force remained broadly stable at 7.10 million, with housework and family responsibilities (43.3%) and schooling or training (40.5%) continuing to be the primary reasons for non-participation.
