KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 10): Malaysia’s unemployment rate held steady in November last year, as the number of jobless people decreased while the labour force expanded, latest data showed. 

The unemployment rate remained at 3.2%, with the number of unemployed individuals decreasing further to 546,700 from 551,400 in the previous month. 

“Malaysia's continued strong economic performance towards the end of 2024 has led to the country's labour market position becoming more stable in November 2024,” contributing to the increase in the number of employed individuals, said chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin in a statement on Friday.

The number of employed individuals also increased by 0.2% from 16.72 million to 16.75 million. Thus, the labour force expanded 0.1% to 17.29 million individuals. 

The labour force participation rate stayed at 70.5% in November. The employee category, comprising the majority of the workforce, saw a 0.1% increase, reaching 12.54 million individuals in November. 

The own-account workers — people who operate their own farm or business, or engage in full-time trade without hiring paid employees — increased by 0.4% to 3.11 million persons. 

By sectors, employment in the services sector continued to increase, mainly in wholesale and retail trade, transportation and storage activities, as well as information and communication activities. The manufacturing, construction, mining, and quarrying, along with agriculture sectors also reported a growth in employment. 

Unemployment of youths for those between 15 and 24 years old remained unchanged at 10.4%, registering 300,600 unemployed youths. 

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate of the 15- to 30-year-old youths declined to 6.2%, with 415,600 unemployed, compared with 420,200 persons in the previous month.