Malaysia Jobless Rate Remains at Over Decade Low

Malaysia’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.0% in July 2025, unchanged from the previous month. The number of unemployed persons edged up by 0.6% from June to 521.6 thousand, while employment rose by 0.2% to 16.95 million, driven mainly by gains in services, manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and mining. Employees continued to make up the largest share of the workforce at 75.0%, totaling 12.71 million, while own-account workers grew by 0.4% to 3.21 million. The labor force expanded by 0.2% month-on-month to 17.47 million, keeping the participation rate unchanged at 70.8%. Meanwhile, the number of persons outside the labor force increased slightly to 7.19 million, with housework and family responsibilities and schooling or training remaining the main reasons.