Chief Statistician Uzir Mahidin said the positive economic outlook during the month enabled the country’s labour market to sustain its steady growth momentum.
“The labour force increased by 0.1% to 17.31 million people in March from 17.3 million in February, while the labour force participation rate remained at 70.9%,” he said in a statement.
Uzir said the number of employed persons edged up by 0.1% to 16.80 million compared with 16.79 million recorded in the previous month.
While the number of unemployed persons rose slightly by 0.4% to 509,000 from 506,800 in February, the overall unemployment rate remained unchanged at 2.9%.
Uzir said employees continued to make up the largest share of total employment at 75%, increasing marginally to 12.6 million in March from 12.59 million previously.
“On the same note, the number of own-account workers recorded a 0.3% rise to 3.14 million compared with 3.13 million in February,” he added.
The services sector remained the main contributor to employment growth, particularly in accommodation and food and beverage services, information and communication activities, and transport and storage activities.
“The manufacturing, construction, and agriculture sectors also recorded increases in employment, while the mining and quarrying sector saw a slight decline.”
On unemployment, Uzir said actively unemployed persons – defined as those actively seeking jobs – accounted for 79.7% of total unemployed persons. This category increased by 0.3% to 405,800 persons in March from 404,700 in February.
At the state level, Uzir said Putrajaya recorded the lowest unemployment rate at 1.3%, followed by Pahang (1.9%), and Selangor and Melaka (2% each).
Looking ahead, Uzir said Malaysia’s labour market is expected to remain stable, supported by strong domestic fundamentals and ongoing structural transformation.
“However, growth is likely to be more moderate and increasingly shaped by external developments, particularly the trajectory of the global energy crisis and geopolitical conditions.
“As such, both businesses and the workforce will need to remain agile in navigating a more dynamic and uncertain economic environment,” he added.