KUALA LUMPUR (June 11): Malaysia’s jobless rate rose in April to a six-month high as the increase in unemployed people outpaced hirings, official data showed.

The unemployment rate in April was 3%, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement on Thursday. Economists generally consider a 3% unemployment rate as the economy having full employment.

Malaysia's economic and labour market outlook is expected to remain “favourable in the near term, supported by resilient domestic fundamentals, sustained investment momentum and ongoing development initiatives”, the department said.

However, uncertainties from the global energy crisis, geopolitical developments and external demand conditions may affect the pace of economic expansion and labour market performance, the DOSM cautioned.

In April, the economy saw the number of unemployed rise to 511,800 persons from 509,000 in the previous month. The number of people with jobs, meanwhile, was 0.1% higher at 16.82 million persons.

All in all, the labour force expanded 0.1% to 17.33 million persons in April compared to 17.31 million persons in March. The labour force participation rate, the proportion of persons employed or looking for work, was steady at 70.9%.

The employee category, comprising the majority of the workforce, was marginally larger at 12.61 million persons. Own-account workers — people who operate their own farm or business, or engage in full-time trade without hiring paid employees — gained 0.2% to 3.15 million persons.

In terms of age groups, unemployment among youths — those between 15 and 24 years old and just entering the labour market following education — was little changed at 10.2%, or about 290,800 people.