THE unemployment rate in May 2026 remained at three per cent, the same as the previous month, with 513,400 unemployed people, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
According to DOSM, the country's labour market showed a moderate increase in line with stable economic growth, recording consistent employment growth and the unemployment rate remaining low despite facing the global supply chain disruption crisis.
“The labour force continued to show an upward momentum during the month, increasing 0.1 per cent month-on-month to 17.34 million people (April 2026: 17.33 million), while the labour force participation rate remained at 70.9 per cent, the same as the previous month.
“At the same time, the number of employed people continued to increase in May 2026, with a marginal increase of 0.1 per cent, recording 16.82 million people (April 2026: 16.82 million),” it said in a statement today.
According to DOSM, 75 per cent of the total employed population is in the employees category.
Of the total unemployed, 79.5 per cent are “actively unemployed” — those available for work and actively seeking jobs.
This group rose by 0.2 per cent to 408,000 persons. Within this segment, 63.9 per cent have been unemployed for less than three months, while 5 per cent are facing long-term unemployment of over a year.
The number of people outside the labour force, meanwhile, amounted to 7.1 million people, mainly due to housework/family responsibilities (43.3 per cent) and school/training (40.5 per cent).
Youth unemployment remained a point of focus.
For those aged 15 to 24, the rate remained unchanged at 10.2 per cent (291,600 persons), while for the 15 to 30 age group, the rate stood at 6.3 per cent, with 396,000 unemployed youths. – July 10, 2026
