KOTA KINABALU – The unemployment rate in Sabah has risen drastically from 8% in 2020 to 9% or 184,200 individuals in the fourth quarter of last year, the Sabah assembly was told today.
State Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Yakub Khan said the rate was high and worrying compared with 5.8% recorded in 2019.
His ministry, he said, has been working hard in collaboration with various parties to implement programmes to reduce the unemployment rate.
“A total of 110,038 active job seekers from Sabah and Labuan have registered at the MyFutureJobs portal.
“As of March 22 this year, the total number of vacancies offered through this portal is 43,229.”
Yakub said job search assistance for people with disabilities (PwDs) was also carried out by the Human Resource Development Department, apart from two series of PwD career carnival programmes organised by the Social Security Organisation last year.
“A total of 16 disabled people got job placements through the carnival. This year, the programme will be held in May to meet the needs of the disabled in Sabah,” he said, adding that 6,977 individuals secured employment through the career carnival programme held in collaboration with the department and Socso.
Meanwhile, Yakub said, his ministry is currently planning to set up a technical university in Sabah in collaboration with Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) at a location subject to findings from the feasibility study conducted. – Bernama, March 23, 2022
