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KUALA LUMPUR: The country’s unemployment rate stood at 4.7 percent in August 2020, Malaysia’s Department of Statistics (DOSM) announced on Tuesday.
The number of unemployed, however, declined marginally by 3,500 to 741,600 during the month compared to July, it said in the latest workforce statistics report.
Statistical chief Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said employment continued to rise, reflecting the resumption of more economic activities starting in July 2020, including tourism, education, as well as arts, entertainment and recreational activities. .
“During the month, the number of people employed increased by 0.5 percent to 15.15 million compared to 0.6 percent in July 2020, following job gains in the service sector, particularly in wholesale and retail trade, accommodation and food and beverages, as well as information and communication activities, ”he said.
In line with this, the employment-to-population ratio, which indicates the ability of an economy to create employment, increased 0.3 percentage points month-over-month to 65.2% (July 2020: 64.9%).
In terms of employment status, the category of employees increased by 72,600 compared to the previous month to register 11.72 million.
The self-employed, who accounted for 2.42 million, posted positive growth for the first time since April 2020.
Meanwhile, there were only 102,000 employed people temporarily not working compared to 104,300 people registered in July 2020.
With the situation of employed and unemployed people in August 2020, the active population during the month was 15.90 million (July 2020: 15.82 million).
The labor force participation rate (LFPR) improved 0.3 percentage points to 68.4 percent. Meanwhile, the external workforce declined 0.7 percent to 7.35 million people.
The largest composition of the external workforce (people not classified as employed or unemployed) was due to schooling, followed by housework / family responsibilities.
The chief statistician said that as economic sectors continued to reopen, in August 2020 the situation for Malaysia’s workforce further improved.
“However, continuous improvement will be subject to the COVID-19 situation in the country,” he added. – Bernama
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